Teacher's Pet
by sdl90
Summary: Mr. Hudson gives Rachel a new meaning to the words 'best teacher ever'.
1. More Than A Teacher

So this was a prompt for a drabble from an anon on Tumblr but I kinda went overboard and turned it into a full-fledged one-shot.

I in no way condone teacher/student relations except in the case of teacher!Finn and student!Rachel and that's only because they're fictional.

If you want to read some more teacher/student Finchel that's totally awesome, if you haven't already, you should read The Substitute by Weasley's Revenge. It's Asian A+!

So without further ado, I present Teacher's Pet...

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><p><em>Detention?<em> Detention. This was an outrage! A scandal! There had to be some mistake because Rachel Berry _never_ got detention. Rachel Berry was the anti-detention and the definition of perfect student. She always did her homework, was always eager to answer questions and have open discussions about the material in class and 99 percent of the time arrived to every class on time or in most cases even early. But of course the one day that is a giant clusterfuck of epic proportions, Rachel's favorite teacher Mr. Hudson _had_ to give her detention because she arrived two minutes late to English and had forgotten about her homework.

What was going on? Mr. Hudson didn't give out detention except to real troublemakers like Noah Puckerman and Dave Karofsky so why was he giving it to his favorite student? She didn't want to toot her own horn, even though she often really _did_ want to, but Rachel knew in her heart she was Mr. Hudson's favorite student. They got along so well, always talking about books they loved and music and Rachel's bid for stardom on Broadway. He believed in her often when no one else did and for that Rachel was eternally grateful, so why couldn't he just cut her some slack for _one_ off day?

So Rachel arrived at Mr. Hudson's in a huff and demanded to know why she was being kept afterschool against her will. She did have things to do for the musical and glee club both after all. "Mr. Hudson, I think it is absolutely uncalled for and unfair that you are subjecting me to an afternoon of detention! I told you in class that today was simply an off day and-"

"Sit down and stop talking," Mr. Hudson cut in gruffly as he stood up from the seat behind his desk and crossed over to the door, shutting it. What Rachel didn't notice was the lock turning on the knob while she followed his directions.

Finn stared at the door momentarily, swallowing thickly and taking a deep breath before turning around to face Rachel. He knew this would be awkward, but for his sake and Rachel's he needed to confront her about this. He walked back over to his desk and pulled the piece of paper out from the top drawer.

Wordlessly, he slipped the piece of paper onto Rachel's desk and stood there waiting for her reaction.

"Mr. Hudson, I don't understand what is going on."

"Read what's on the paper," he replied with a nod to the sheet of notebook paper. Rachel sighed and looked down at the sheet, eyes widening and heart rate increasing as she viewed her handwriting and gold stars covering the page. Her heart stopped completely when she read the first sentence on the page knowing it only got way more descriptive and erotic as the writing went on.

_I had a dream last night that Mr. Hudson came over and fucked me against a wall._

Rachel couldn't read beyond that for embarrassment and utter humiliation began to settle in. Her breathing became more ragged and her eyes shifted rapidly, searching for anything to land on other than the paper or Mr. Hudson.

It was a page from her dream notebook. Ever since Rachel could remember her dreams had always been vivid and fantastical and nonsensical and she liked to write them down to remember them better. Whether they were scary or perfect or just outright weird she wrote every dream down and her dream about Mr. Hudson was no exception.

The Mr. Hudson dream had been a particular favorite of hers. It had occurred a few nights ago and was so intense Rachel woke up sweaty and like she had just run a marathon in the middle of the night. She was so riled up that she couldn't fall back asleep so she wrote about the dream in the greatest detail she had written about any dream which only led to wetter panties and a burning need that she had to try to satisfy. That was the first night she had ever touched herself in 18 years.

But now Rachel was anything but turned on as she tried to discern how Mr. Hudson had ended up in the possession of her most personal piece of property ever. "How did you get this?" she asked meekly, barely above a whisper. She still couldn't look at him.

"It was stuck to your paper you handed in yesterday," he replied quietly. "I think we need to talk about it. This is why I gave you detention to make sure you would show up here. Rachel," he put his hand on her desk and she flinched back. He knelt down and tried to capture her eye. "Rachel, this is the most _descriptive_ writing I've ever seen. You've got a real knack for it…but you shouldn't be writing about me. You shouldn't be dreaming about me."

"I know," she stated softly. "I can't help what my subconscious thinks about though."

Finn nodded. He knew what Rachel meant, boy did he ever. "You shouldn't have these feelings for me. I'm your teacher." But that didn't really matter because he felt like their relationship was way more than just a student/teacher one. "And you're my student which is what makes it really difficult for me not to act on the things you've written here." A pause. Shit! Did he really just say that out loud? That was not what he meant to say at all!

_Did he just…?_ Rachel thought to herself as she finally looked up and saw the conflict and panic written all over Mr. Hudson's adorable face. "Mr. Hudson…"

"Rachel, that is not…not what I meant. I meant that even though you're a very attractive woman, I mean girl, our relationship needs to be professional. I'm your teacher and it would be wrong of me to take advantage of any feelings you have for me just because I would like to." SHUT UP, HUDSON! Why couldn't he stop the word vomit? Everything he was trying to say was coming out so wrong! He needed to make Rachel _not_ feel things for him but instead he seemed to making her realize that, like her, he had a few inappropriate thoughts that were really not kosher to have regarding their relationship.

Suddenly, Rachel's mouth broke out into a satisfied grin. "Mr. Hudson, how old are you?" she asked abruptly.

"Twenty-four." Damn it! Why was he answering her question?

"You know, I'm 18 and I'm happily unattached. Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No." Seriously! Shut up!

She contemplated this piece of information, licking her lips and running her slender fingers over the exposed portion of her chest. "You realize that it's February right now Mr. Hudson. I will only be in high school for another three and a half months then it's off to college in New York City and I won't be in Lima again for a very long time." She pouted a little as she explained the future. "We've been close since you started her last year Mr. Hudson. We should really enjoy the small window of time we have left together, don't you think?"

Under normal circumstances Rachel would never act so flirtatiously toward a teacher but his statements made her realize that what she felt wasn't one-sided. He felt things for her too and as far as Rachel could see, there was no reason why they couldn't act on those feelings if they were both consenting adults.

Finn could only gulp and stare at Rachel's hand which was slowly dipping below the low-cut collar of her shirt. He managed to tear his gaze away from her chest and found himself staring into her lust filled eyes. She bit her lip in a cute, yet sexy, manner and he could feel himself growing hard. How did he get here? He was not that guy who had affairs with students. Finn became a teacher because he wanted to help inspire kids the way his teachers had inspired him. He wanted to make sure they would actually learn something while at school and not just use it for a social platform. Finn didn't get into this line of work to ogle teenage girls who had the hots for him and he certainly didn't mean to develop deeper feelings for one of them…although she _was_ 18 – NO! He had to nip this in the bud before it got out of hand.

"Rachel, this is very inappropriate and we can't go th-"

Before he could end the conversation and send Rachel on her way and go home and take a really cold shower while thinking of killing the entire United States Postal Service with a Mac truck, Rachel leapt out of her chair and flung herself at Finn, knocking him back into his desk. A few items fell off and papers scattered everywhere. He could feel her nails digging into his shoulders as she clung to him tightly and began kissing him.

Her kiss was amazing, better than any other kiss with any other woman and made his brain go foggy with his craving for her. Finn forgot he was a teacher and she a student and all the politics and moral implications behind that and for a moment they were just Finn and Rachel, two people who were sexually drawn together and appeared to have amazing chemistry. But then Finn snapped out of it when Rachel began tugging at his belt.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Rachel, stop it. We…we can't do this!" he cried out as he shoved Rachel off him as gently as he could without physically hurting her. Her lips were already swelling and her cheeks were flushed. She looked beyond sexy.

"What is the problem? I'm legally an adult and I'm consenting to do this with you. We both want each other and you can deny it all you want but you want me. No wonder we get along so well, Finn." She had never called Mr. Hudson by his first name but she really liked how it felt and sounded. _Finn_. What a perfect name.

"It's Mr. Hudson, Rachel and we get along because we have similar interests. That's all." He knew it was more than that but he had to get Rachel to back off.

She scoffed, seeing right through him. "Please, we both know it's more than that. We have something very few people ever find. I can tell. So maybe we found it in a place most people would deem improper but who cares what they think? I swear I won't tell anyone about this. I would never want you to get into trouble over me." Rachel leaned forward and started kissing Finn once more, undoing his shirt buttons, only to be shoved back again.

Clearly she would need to step up her game.

Finn's resolve was beginning to wane but he had to try. Everything Rachel said was true but that didn't mean it was right. If he had to throw her out of the classroom and quit his job and move out of state to keep them from making a mistake with each other he'd do it. Or at least he would have until Rachel removed her shirt and revealed the cute satin pink bra she was wearing underneath.

His mouth and throat went dry as his breathing stopped. Rachel smiled at him then he could tell a thought hit her. She started for the door.

"It's already locked," he called after her knowing that's what she was going to check and not that she was going to leave and pretend this whole incident never happened. Rachel looked back at him over her shoulder and brushed her hair out of the way. A smirk played on her lips and she slowly turned around to saunter back over to him.

"Now why would the door be locked already if you didn't think this would end in us fucking?" she asked in a sultry tone, biting her lip as she pressed herself against Finn and swiped her finger over his jaw line before her hands went back to unbuttoning his shirt.

"I was," he gulped, "trying to…" Oh hell what did it matter, Rachel was standing in front of him half naked and his whole body was crying out to take her. "Oh fuck, I give up." He roughly pulled Rachel's head closer and crashed his lips down hard on hers. His hands weaved through her hair and he could feel Rachel working on his belt again. She ripped it out of his pants and hastily unbuttoned and unzipped them.

Before his mind registered that she had broken their kiss, Rachel was on her knees in front of him, pulling him out from his pants and boxers. Both garments fell to the floor and he looked down to see Rachel smoothing her hand over his chubby making it a full and painful hard on. She glanced up at him through her lashes and smiled before sucking on his tip.

Her mouth and lips felt amazing on his skin and he just wanted even more. Without meaning to his hips bucked forward forcing more of himself into her mouth. Rachel adjusted and instead of pulling back, took more of him in. He needed to stop her otherwise he would explode right there. Finn pulled out of her mouth startling her. She looked up, worry all over her face.

"Did I…did I do something wrong?" she asked in a tiny voice. She hoped she hadn't hurt him. He was making what she assumed had been happy noises…

"No, nothing. I just…you were _too_ good." His cheeks pinked and he ran his hand through his hair nervously. He put his hand out for her to take. "Come here."

Rachel put her hand in his and allowed him to pull her up and subsequently sat her on his desk. He settled between her knees and resumed kissing her. His fingers fumbled for her bra clasp, finally unhooking it on the third attempt and he ripped the fabric away from her body while she finished getting his dress shirt and under t-shirt off him. He did notice she left the tie on though.

Wanting to take his time on Rachel's body, Finn slowly kissed down her neck to her shoulder and collarbone and upon reaching her breast, took a pebbled nipple between his teeth. Her body arched into his as she snaked her fingers through his hair, moaning as he sucked harder on her nipple. "Oh God, Mr. Hudson," Rachel moaned out, head falling back, eyes closed, as his hands slid up her thighs. His mouth broke from her skin.

"You can call me Finn," he said in a deep husky voice before continuing to worship Rachel's chest with his mouth. A few seconds later his fingers found the waist of her panties under the criminally short skirt she had worn to school that day. Without hesitation, Finn ripped the panties down her body and threw them over his shoulder.

Rachel's bare ass sat on the edge of Finn's desk as he moved his kisses down her body until he arrived at the waist of her skirt. He pulled away from Rachel and stared into her eyes watching him as he shoved her skirt up and knelt down in front of her. She could feel an intense pull in her center and a throbbing she had never experienced before.

Finn's eyes widened as he looked at her dripping entrance. She was so wet for him it was almost too much. "Oh baby, you're so wet," he mumbled as he dipped a finger inside her. Her body shuddered and she released a strangled moan of pleasure. Her legs shook from the force of it. "Do you always get this wet when you think of me?" He looked back up at Rachel who nodded with a slight pout. "Good."

Without any further wait, Finn dove in and began lapping up Rachel's juices as she writhed and moaned above him. He wrapped his arms around her legs to keep her still as he worked on her clit, teasing it with his tongue and sucking hard on it between his lips. His fingers were inside her when he could feel her tightening around them and it was only a few minutes after he started that she was losing any control she had and coming furiously on top of his desk.

When she screamed out her bliss, Finn pulled away and shot to his feet to cover her mouth with his hand. No one could know what they were doing in his classroom together and her screams would alert someone to it. She looked angry at his face leaving her pussy mid-orgasm so to make it up to her he quickly aligned himself and slammed into her. The desk scraped against the floor as it moved from the force and Finn lost his footing falling on top of Rachel. His hand slipped away from her mouth and she was able to speak again.

"Fuck me, Finn! Please," she whined, not caring that he had just bashed her against his desk.

"You have to be quiet, Rachel. No one can know," he reminded her in a hushed voice before beginning to move his hips back and forth. She moaned and he felt her walls tighten around him again. "Oh God, you're so tight."

"Harder Finn!" she cried out. Her legs wrapped around Finn's waist tightly to hold him to her as close as humanly possible. "Go deeper."

Finn pushed further into her forcing lower and longer moans from her mouth. She was fucking perfect and he didn't care what happened to him for fucking her, he was so glad she had been so persistent and would never regret being buried inside her. "Fuck, Rachel. You're so fucking good." Feeling like a beast, Finn lifted Rachel up in one swift motion and began pounding into her in a free stand. She was small enough and light enough that it was no problem to hold her against him without support.

Rachel kissed him again, shoving her tongue into his mouth and massaging it with hers. She could taste herself on him and was instantly more turned on. "Finn, make me come. Make me come, baby." Rachel couldn't believe she just called Finn, her _teacher_, 'baby' but she did and it felt _so_ right. _H_e felt so right.

She had only ever been with Jesse who turned out to be a selfish jerk and dumped her after he had gotten his fill of Berry pie but that didn't matter now. He was nothing compared to Finn and had been lacking on many levels. Jesse had always felt unfulfilling in both the size and use department as he always seemed too small and thin to fit in right and had never accomplished getting Rachel to orgasm. Finn on the other hand seemed made to fit inside her as he was the perfect girth and length to fill her completely with the perfect sensation of friction and had already given her an orgasm on the first try and was well on the way to his second. Yes, what she and Finn had was special and everything about that moment was so right even though society would deem it so wrong.

Finn was losing energy at a rapid pace from their intense fucking and he knew he was going to blow his load soon. He had to get Rachel off first though. His own orgasm would never be satisfying if he couldn't achieve that. Finn leaned his body back against his desk and moved Rachel's hips on his member. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he moved his hand between them to find her swollen nub. It took only a few grazes of his thumb and she was falling over the edge again, fighting to keep quiet, whimpering from the euphoria.

The combination of feeling her hot walls pulsing rapidly around him and watching her body engulf his member was too much for Finn and he came right after her, swelling and spilling into her harshly. He was silently screaming until he couldn't hold back the sound anymore and let out a gurgle of a moan. Rachel slowly moved her hips back and forth to milk Finn of every last drop and he didn't pull out until he was sure he was done. As he slid out, his hot cum dripped out of Rachel and he realized the mistake he made.

"Oh God, Rachel, I'm so…I'm a fucking idiot. I forgot a condom…" Now he was freaking out! It was bad enough he had succumbed to his wanton physical desire with a student, now he had to worry about whether or not he got her pregnant! He was like a male version of Mary Kay Letourneau!

Rachel started laughing however. "It's okay; I'm on birth control and have been since I was sixteen. You don't need to worry." She pulled him forward by his tie to kiss away his anguish. "That was amazing. You are most definitely my favorite teacher."

Finn couldn't help but smile. "I hate to tell you this but that kind of just made you Teacher's Pet. The other students may resent you now." He chuckled and kissed her again.

"They already do so it doesn't really matter." She sighed happily and unwound herself from around Finn finally. "You know, I have a lot of homework I could use some one-on-one tutoring for. Perhaps we should schedule some afterschool help for a few days out of the week." She arched her eyebrow at him and the corner of her mouth twitched upward.

Finn was already in so deep it he couldn't fight it anymore. He had to have Rachel and as often as possible in as many positions as they could think of, so he agreed. "Yeah, of course. My door is always open for you, but I'm thinking, maybe we should take the studying to a more private place…like my apartment maybe."

Rachel's face drew together in thought. "I think that is a good idea. Perhaps we could study tonight since my fathers won't be home until late and I'd be so alone at home by myself." She looked at the floor then back up to Finn who was smiling at her.

"Do you need a ride?"

"In more ways than one." She giggled as Finn began to blush at the innuendo and how Rachel's breasts bounced with her laughter. "So are we on for tonight?"

Finn pulled her against him and gave her a deep kiss. "I'm on for right now but we should really get out of here. Get dressed and we can go." He kissed her again quickly and as she pulled away to get dressed he smacked her tush playfully. Rachel looked back at him and giggled.

Mr. Hudson really was the best teacher ever.


	2. Defining the Relationship

Anyone who wanted more, well you're in luck because I've decided to turn this into a multi-chapter complete with plot and everything! lol Since I was so inspired I wrote up this chapter for you all.

And again, I do not condone teacher/student relations. This is a work of fantasy between fictional characters (which I do not own because I don't own anything) and nothing more. :) Enjoy!

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><p>They've been 'studying' together for just over a week now and so far it seems like no one has caught on. No one looked at Finn or Rachel strangely, no one ever caught the flirty glances or innuendoes they used with each other. In fact, Rachel was such a good actress that for an entire period the second day of their affair Finn thought she had changed her mind about being with him until he got a text from her letting him know that the only reason she had declined 'extra help on her essay' after school was because Kurt had been around. Kurt knew that she had already finished the latest essay they had been assigned and would have grown suspicious if she had agreed.<p>

It didn't stop her from showing up at Finn's apartment after glee that day however...and every week day since their first time. If Finn could he would take her on the weekend too but as her dads were home, they would figure out something was up. But now it was their second Friday in Finn's bedroom and he had just finished up giving Rachel her third orgasm of the day when he made the mistake of saying four words that could completely change everything.

"We should go out." Rachel froze underneath him and he could instantly tell he'd said the wrong thing. "I mean, if you want to. We don't have to. It's just, usually when I have this much sex with a woman we've already gotten past the first date, ya know?"

Rachel relaxed a little and licked her lips before speaking. "Finn, I would _love_ to go out with you," his face brightened at her words, "but," but there was always a but, "I'm your student and everyone in this town knows it. I may be 18 but I know McKinley would still fire you if they found out we were together and I don't want to jeopardize your career any more than I already have. Maybe after graduation. People would still talk I'm sure but we wouldn't have to hide then and you wouldn't get in trouble." She toyed with his hair as she shattered his idea.

He gave her a sad half-smile. "Yeah, it was a stupid idea. Sorry, I should think before I talk." Finn looked away from her.

Rachel turned his face back to stare into his eyes. "It wasn't stupid, Finn. Believe me, I would love to be able to run around Lima screaming 'Finn Hudson is my boyfriend' at the top of my lungs because I'm just so happy to be with you, but I'm trying to think about this realistically. A date right now isn't realistic."

Finn smiled bigger. "I'm your boyfriend?"

Rachel blushed and bit her lip. "If you'd like to be. I know I can't be seen in public with you and we can't speak openly about our relationship to anyone but I only want to be with you and I hope you feel the same way."

"I do. I just want to be with you. I'd love to be your boyfriend." Rachel smiled the biggest and brightest smile he'd ever seen and he could feel his heart melt completely.

"Finn Hudson, I am so proud to call you my boyfriend. You have no idea." She pulled his head down and kissed him deeply, smiles building on both of their faces.

This new label on what they were begged yet another question. "What are you doing for Valentine's Day?" he asked when their kiss broke.

Rachel contemplated the day which was next Tuesday. "I have glee rehearsal but other than that it's just another day."

"I know we can't go out, but would you like to come over to celebrate?" Finn asked sheepishly.

Rachel grinned broadly. "Like I have every other day since we started?"

"Plus, homemade dinner." He cocked his eyebrow playfully at her. "Believe it or not, I can cook. Maybe not 5-star chef quality but enough that my mom hasn't made me dinner since I was eighteen. Well, other than during holidays. I know you're vegan so I can make...something."

"I'd like that. Of course I'll come over to celebrate with you." She pulled Finn's face down to hers and began kissing him deeply again. Rachel could feel Finn's fingers roaming over her body and his hardening erection against her inner thigh.

"Can we go for four?" he mumbled against her lips.

"Uh huh," she whined, nodding her head slightly until she could feel his hardness slide into her. Her breath hitched and her head flew back.

Finn found a steady rhythm as he pumped in and out of her, eliciting delicious moans which were making it hard for him to keep from coming on the spot. It was a little crazy to him how strongly he felt for Rachel. He wasn't a man-whore but he wasn't a saintly virgin either. Finn had had his share of relationships in the past and while he had feelings for those women they were nowhere on the level of what he felt for the tiny beauty writhing around under him, scraping her nails down his back and screaming out his name and how he made her feel 'so good'. No, Rachel was something else entirely which was unfortunate for only one reason, until June she would be his student.

Finn still couldn't wrap his mind around what he had done. He knew on the surface it was wrong and that he could get into serious trouble but when he was with Rachel, none of that mattered. She didn't seem like a teenager and he didn't feel like an adult. He just hoped once graduation rolled around that they would be able to be together in every way. Finn hated not being able to be seen in public with her, not being able to kiss her or hold her hand whenever he wanted, being called Mr. Hudson when he wanted her to call him Finn. Graduation was not coming fast enough.

But he could worry about that later. For now, he would take being with her like this, making love in his bed whenever possible, watching movies and eating Chinese food, just learning little things about each other. Until graduation that would be enough.

"Oh God, F-f-finn, you feel s-so goooood," she moaned out as he brushed against her g-spot repeatedly.

"You're amazing," he grunted out when she clenched tightly around him. His right hand found her breast and squeezed while his left moved to her back to cradle her against him. Then she unexpectedly flipped them over so she was now on top.

Rachel loved to ride Finn and watch his reaction to everything she did. He actually loved when she was on top unlike Jesse who had always wanted to have sex the same way, him on top in missionary while she just lied there like a blowup doll. With Finn, sex was engaging and almost a sport. They continuously tried to outdo themselves and find new and interesting ways to get it on. Rachel often wondered if that was the difference between a boy and a man or if Finn was just the best lover ever despite age. It was probably a combination of both.

"G'uh, baby, you're so hot," Finn groaned as he felt her sink down on him again, her hands splayed out over his lower abdomen for support. He moved her legs so her feet were by his head and gripped her thighs while she moved her body back and forth. He widened her thighs and licked his lips at the sight of her body engulfing his dick again and again.

She let out a deep grunt with her last movement and began to orgasm for the fourth time that afternoon. She clutched Finn's body firmly; afraid she would lose herself so much she might float away. If she had known that sex with Finn would lead to such a state of joyous intoxication, she would have made her feelings for him known much sooner.

Her release triggered Finn's and he came inside her making that puckered 'O' she loved so much. He trembled under her while his body came down from the natural high and Rachel lifted herself off him. They were both a mess and she needed a shower before she could go home to her dads but first they needed another cuddle period.

"I love when you come inside me," Rachel stated as she folded herself into Finn. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple. "I feel so much more connected to you then."

"I like it too. Makes things a bit messier but I like gettin' you dirty." They both chuckled until Rachel sighed.

"Speaking of dirty I should get cleaned up and go home. My dads will be home soon."  
>Finn held her tighter and whined. "Not yet. What time is it?" He looked over at his clock and saw that it was nearing 6:30 pm. "Damn. I hate having to share you."<p>

Rachel leaned up and pecked his lips, rubbing her nose against his and stroking his cheek. "It's only until Monday. Maybe if we both get in to school a little early we could fit in some under-the-desk fellatio," she replied flirtatiously. At her words she could feel Finn getting hard again.

"Let's agree on seven and I can bend you over my desk too." He gripped her ass tightly forcing a little squeal from her.

She licked her lips and stared at him with sultry eyes. "Can you call me a bad girl for forgetting my homework and spank me with your ruler too?"

Finn's eyes widened significantly. "You're a little kinky girl, aren't you?" He smiled broadly while Rachel blushed and tried to cover her face in minor embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, that was too much. I shouldn't-"

"Rach, I think it's so hot. Don't be embarrassed." He pulled her hand from her face and kissed her fingertips. "I will do anything you're comfortable with and I'll never push you to do something you aren't comfortable with."

"You're the best." Rachel leaned forward to capture his lips again. "I wish I could take back my first time and save it for you. You're perfect."

Finn smirked. "I'm not."

"Yes, you are. You're a gentleman and you actually care about people and you're passionate and kind. Not to mention your sexual prowess. You are a very amiable lover."

"Well I always aim to please." Rachel smiled at him. Finn looked contemplative for a moment.

"What?" Rachel asked, wondering what his expression could mean.

"It's nothing; we can talk about it later. You have to get home." Finn pulled away from Rachel and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed to pick up his boxers.

Now Rachel was really concerned. She moved closer to Finn and placed her chin on his shoulder, sliding her hands from his back to his front. Tenderly, Rachel kissed his shoulder and pressed her bare chest against his warm skin. "We can talk about it now. I can just tell my dads I went to the store if they ask where I was."

Finn's mouth twitched and he looked nervously at the wall. "It's really not that big of a deal..."

"If it's got you like this it must be. You can tell or ask me anything. I don't mind." She comfortingly ran her fingers up and down Finn's chest until his hand fell over hers to stop her and intertwine their fingers.

His head dropped slightly as he sighed. "It's really stupid and you're gonna think I'm weird and a little petty even but, I know you weren't a virgin the first time we were together, you told me that, obviously, and I could kind of tell that anyway. It's just…I wonder who you were with before me. Chances are he was a guy at school and I find myself wondering if I know him, if I have him in any of my classes, and I kinda feel..." Finn paused letting Rachel absorb his thoughts.

"Are you jealous?" she asked with a hint of humor in her voice.

Finn shrugged and glanced back at her over his shoulder. "Maybe...a little...yes. I just hate the thought that someone else was with you and I know that's not fair of me considering I have my own past partners but, I just kind of want to know who he or they are." He looked back down at his hand holding Rachel's and squeezed tighter.

Rachel sat up on her knees letting the sheet completely fall away from her body and crawled into Finn's lap. He knew they were having a serious moment but he couldn't stop himself from staring at her boobs. They were just so perfect.

"Finn, my eyes are up here," Rachel mocked, pointing to her eyes with a little giggle. He tore his gaze away and gulped.

"Sorry. I just _really_ love your boobs."

Rachel pinked at his compliment. "Thank you. It's always nice to meet a fan." They both chuckled and Rachel wrapped her arms around Finn's neck as he cupped her backside with both hands. She turned serious again. "If you really want to know I'll tell you who it was."

Finn nodded. "I would and I will tell you about my past women too if you want. Just so we're even."

"If you want to." Rachel shrugged and steadied herself to tell him about Jesse. "I've only been with one other guy before you. He was my boyfriend up until about Thanksgiving this past year. He graduated last year and was accepted to UCLA and we were going to try to make the long distance thing work because I really liked him. We had so much in common and our musical chemistry was amazing. I was even willing to ignore the fact that the sex we had was _always_ horrible because I thought I loved him and I thought he loved me. But then he sent me a text message basically telling me he fucked some sorority slut and we were over because they were going out now. She ended up getting pregnant and they now live in Lima Heights Adjacent because her family disowned her, cutting off her college fund and Jesse was too stupid to realize he had to attend all his classes in order to pass them so he was put on academic probation."

"Wait, _Jesse_? As in Jesse St. James?" Finn asked incredulously. "That douchebag was your boyfriend?" Finn was appalled by this notion. He couldn't believe Rachel would ever be into someone as pretentious and obnoxious as _Jesse St. James_.

"You know him?" Rachel's eyebrow shot up quickly. "I didn't think you would since he graduated last year and you started here so late in the year."

"He was in one of the classes I took over for when Miss Michaels had her nervous breakdown and had to go to rehab. He thought he knew _everything_ better than everyone. I wanted to punch off the shit-eating grin he had on his face every day. That dick had no respect for anyone. Why would you date him?"

Rachel looked guilty and shrugged her shoulders a little. "I didn't know how big of a jerk he was when I first met him. He seemed nice and he was into me and I had never had a boyfriend before so when he asked me out I accepted. Things started out great but then he started pressuring me for more and I wasn't entirely ready but I gave myself to him anyway because I didn't want to be alone. It was better to be unhappy with him than unhappy by myself."

Finn brushed some hair out of Rachel's face and grazed his thumb back and forth over her cheek. "I'm sorry he treated you that way. God, he is such a _dick_!"

Rachel couldn't help but laugh at Finn's audacity. "I was bitter for a while but I'm not really anymore. I have you now and you're a thousand times the man Jesse is, in every way." She glanced downward suggestively and the corner of Finn's mouth twitched upward. "You make me feel like a sexy woman while he made me feel like an ugly stiff piece of wood and I never found out if his tongue was talented at all, but it probably wasn't, and he never made me orgasm…ever."

"You mean, he never…?" Finn glanced down and Rachel shook her head. "What a _dick_? Well it's his loss because you taste fantastic." She giggled and he smiled at her. "It's true. The best I've ever had."

"How many have you had?" she asked curiously.

Now it was Finn's turn to divulge into the past. "Counting the one-night-stand I had to try to get over my last girlfriend, five. The last one though, that was a mistake and it was just straight-up sex one time. I was pissed off and lonely and thought sleeping with anyone else would make the hurt go away but it just made me feel like shit."

"Why would your girlfriend break up with you?"

"She thought I was boring because I never wanted to go out and party with her. Going to clubs and getting wasted every night was fun in college but I had to grow up a little once I graduated because I needed a job. I mean, I'm still working on getting my masters now so I really don't have time to party. Apparently she couldn't handle that and needed someone 'funner' so she broke up with me."

Rachel looked at him sympathetically. "I'm sorry. That's horrible."

He shot her a weak smile. "It's okay. If we hadn't of broken up I never would have left Cincinnati to come here when I learned about the potential job opportunity from an old professor of mine. Then we wouldn't be sitting here right now."

"Well if that's the case then I'm glad she wasn't mature enough for you because I like sitting here with you." She wiggled her body and snuggled in closer to him. "I guess we shouldn't regret the past because everything that happened led us to each other."

"You're right. We can't change the past, we can only look toward the future and I really hope that you might be in my future." Finn ran his hands over Rachel's back as she lifted her head to look into his face.

"I would like that, very much." She pressed her forehead to his, lightly kissing his lips before deepening it and pressing him back down onto the bed. Finn began to roll them over until Rachel's phone started playing 'Don't Rain On My Parade'. He groaned when he realized it was probably her fathers and pulled away from her. She got up and hastily ran for her purse sitting on Finn's dresser. He laid out on his bed with his head propped against the wall as he enjoyed the view of Rachel's ass while she dug around for her phone.

"Hello?" she greeted innocently. Finn could hear a voice on the other end of the line but couldn't make out any words. "Daddy, I'll be home soon. I just went to the store to buy some soy milk and ice cream since we're low. Did you need anything else while I'm out?" Rachel turned around to look at Finn and made a face while she mimed talking with her hand. "Okay, I should be home in about 20 minutes. Bye Daddy." She hung up the phone and chucked it back in her purse before pouting at Finn. "I really do have to go now. My father was not happy coming home to an empty house."

Finn got off the bed and finally put his boxers on then walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her small body. "Sorry, I got you in trouble. I'll have to work on my timing for having deep conversations."

Rachel grinned at him. "You didn't get me in trouble. I wanted to be here. I'd really love to stay but I can't." She leaned up and pecked him on the lips again before pulling away from him and finding her clothes. "I guess I'll just have to skip the shower. Hopefully my fathers' sense of smell won't be too tuned in to sex."

While he watched her dart around his room picking up her various discarded items of clothing, Finn pondered his weekend. It was only two days without her but it seemed like it would be a lifetime. How had he fallen so hard so fast for this woman?

"Hey, what's your favorite food?" he asked randomly, remembering he needed to find a vegan recipe to make dinner for Rachel on Tuesday.

She threw her shirt on and pulled her hair out from the collar. "I really enjoy pasta dishes…and Chinese food. My dads and I are pretty dedicated to Chinese take-out."

"Cool. I'll see what I can make then." Rachel walked over to him and gave him a hug again. "Thanks for coming over."

"Thanks for having me." She smiled up at him then pulled away and grabbed her purse. They both walked out to the living room and front door where Finn gave her another scorching kiss before letting her leave.

"I'll see you Monday at seven in my classroom." He smirked at her. "And if you're a minute late I'll definitely have to see to it that you get a spanking."

Rachel smirked back. "Oh I hope so. Naughtiness deserves punishment. You can't let me get away with anything." She giggled and kissed him again then finally opened the door to leave. "Bye Finn. I'll see you Monday." She waved goodbye and closed the door behind her and like that she was gone for over two whole days.

Finn couldn't remember the last time he'd been so anxious for a Monday.


	3. The Bad News and The Good News

I just want to thank everyone for the reviews, alerts, favorites, etc. The response to this story has been amazing. Thank you all so much. Hope you enjoy this next update. :)

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><p>It was Sunday afternoon and Rachel was going a little stir crazy not being able to see Finn. They had exchanged flirty texts and phone calls back and forth since she arrived home Friday night but before Rachel could breech the subject of taking their talk time further, something would always come up. But now her dads were at the supermarket for about an hour and Finn was home alone with nothing to do based on the fact he was texting Rachel about how he was cleaning for her to come over the next afternoon.<p>

Rachel was lying on her bed in her underwear getting ready to do some serious flirting when Finn's next text brought about the perfect segue.

_**Hey babe, did you realize you forgot your panties here Friday?**_ his last text read. Rachel blushed and felt wetness pool between her legs. She sent out a reply.

_Oh, I didn't forget them. ;)_

She bit her lip and stared at her ceiling as she waited for a response. Two seconds later her phone beeped.

_**God woman, you are going to kill me. Is it Monday yet?**_

Rachel giggled a little. _Patience is a virtue, Finn._

_**Patience my ass. I just want you under me again.**_

_There are other ways we could be together right now_, she texted back to him initiating her plan finally.

_**How so?**_

_Are you familiar with 'sexy texting' or 'sexting'? Santana Lopez told me about it. She says it can get quite erotic._

Rachel waited in silence for multiple minutes for a response to her idea. She was beginning to grow impatient and felt rather stupid for suggesting such a thing. Obviously he didn't want to sext her since it had been nearing five minutes without a reply. Then her phone rang, 'My Man' playing through the speakers and 'Call From: Cowboy' flashing on her screen. A huge grin spread across her face.

"Hey there Cowboy," she greeted in a sultry voice, laughing a little at the nickname she had given him when she learned he had cowboy wallpaper in his bedroom until he was seventeen. "I was beginning to think you forgot about me."

"Never. I was just trying to pick my jaw up off the floor from the thought of you touching yourself."

"Oh yeah? Want to describe what you were picturing for me?" she asked biting the tip of her finger and rubbing her thighs together.

Finn groaned. "I was imagining you rubbing your clit and fingering yourself." He moaned again.

Rachel followed his lead and spread her thighs to slide her hand below her panties and began stroking her wet slit. "Mmm…Finn, I'm so wet right now. I wish you were here to lick up some of it. I love how your tongue feels on my pussy." She could feel the throbbing want intensify as she thought about how dirty she was talking.

All she could hear on the other end was heavy breathing then strangled words. "I want to eat you out so bad. I can't wait until I can suck on your clit and have you ride my face again. God, Rachel, I need you now. Is there any way you can sneak out?"

"Finn, I can't. My dads will be home soon and we're doing family dinner. Just focus. Imagine I'm there sucking on your huge cock, swirling my tongue over your tip and taking you all the way in." Rachel was getting hotter as she imagined giving Finn a blowjob. Watching what her mouth on his cock did to him was quickly becoming a favorite activity of hers.

"Fuck, Rach," Finn cried out through the phone. Rachel could hear his labored breathing and moans.

"I want you inside me Finn. I love how big your cock is. You always fuck me just right." Rachel's chest rose and fell as she fought to keep the phone against her ear to hear Finn and finger herself fervently. She was getting close to coming and only one minor touch to her swollen nub and she'd lose herself but she wasn't quite ready yet. "Finn, wha-what are you doing?"

"I'm about to come, baby. All I can think about is fucking you and how your pussy looks when I come inside you."

And that was it. Rachel couldn't hold back the flood any longer and clenched around her fingers and felt her nub pulsing against her palm as she orgasmed. She gripped the phone tightly to her head and had to fight not to scream as she spoke to Finn. "I'm coming Finn! I'm coming, oh God, it feels soooo goooood."

Rachel was so involved in her own body's reaction she failed to notice the phone fall onto her bed and couldn't even hear Finn grunting with his own release on the other end. She fell into a state of euphoria as she stared up at her ceiling one hand on her chest, the other clutching her bedspread. Her head was spinning as she controlled her breathing until she could hear her name being called from her left.

"Rachel? Rachel?" Finn's distant voice called through the little speaker until she scrambled to grab the phone and put it back to her ear.

"Sorry Finn. I dropped my phone. That was way more intense than I expected it to be."

"Yeah, I'm just that good, baby." Rachel burst out laughing and Finn chuckled along with her. "It's nothing compared to the real thing but that was good. Really good."

"_Rachel?_" Rachel could hear her Dad calling from downstairs. "Rachel! We're home with dinner!"

Rachel sat up and quickly began searching for clothes. "I'm sorry Finn, but I need to go. My dads are home. I'll see you tomorrow at school at seven. I lo-I mean, I'll talk to you later, Finn. Bye baby."

"Bye babe. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye," Rachel said one last time before hanging up.

Did she really just nearly say she _loved_ Finn? Where did that come from? Why did she nearly say that? They'd only known each other for a week and three days. It was little early for love yet wasn't it? Yet…when she thought of Finn and love it seemed natural, like they _should_ be in love.

"Rachel, dinner!" her Dad called again.

"I'll be right down!" she called back.

She didn't have time to contemplate her feelings for Finn. Right now she had to go pretend to be the good little virgin daughter who would never have sex with her sexy English teacher boyfriend her fathers thought she was.

A few miles away in a small one bedroom apartment, Finn was lying on his bed thinking about Rachel's little slip. She had been about to say 'I love you' and Finn couldn't help but feel a little sad that she didn't. It was strange. They had been together for such a short period of time but he already knew in his heart that the feeling growing inside of him every day he was with her was love.

It wasn't just the sex that Finn loved, though it was incredible, it was her everything. How she smiled showing off all her beautiful pearly whites, how her eyes sparkled every time she saw him, her ambition and the way she spoke of Broadway like it was already hers, how she knew beyond a doubt she would make it. Finn knew how her peers at school saw her as an annoying theatre freak and yeah, maybe when he first met her she kinda scared him with all her talking and her intensity but as he got to know her those became some of his favorite things about her. Plus, she was so smart and mature for someone her age…for the most part. He did think it was a little juvenile when she sent her glee club competition to a crack house, but she learned from the experience and regretted it greatly.

It was all this and more that led to him developing feelings for her and he knew it was wrong but when he discovered the random piece of paper with her very descriptive dream about him, Finn's feelings were even more intensified. When he called her in to detention he _never_ meant to sleep with her. He really did want to try to make her stop feeling that way about him but then he had to actually open his mouth and word vomit spilled forth making her want him even more.

While Finn thought of how deep in he was getting, he knew the consequences would be grave if they got caught but he couldn't bring himself to care about them. He loved Rachel and that was all he could think about. Finn wanted her all the time and wanted everything from her. Dare he even say he could picture marrying her, having babies with her, growing old with her?

Finn had a lot to think about as he got up to clean himself off and wait for the next day to finally roll around.

The next morning Rachel was waiting in her car impatiently for Finn to arrive, her little blue Chevy Cruze hybrid the only car in the parking lot being that it was 6:57 am. No one besides her, Finn and the creepy old janitor would be at the school at seven am and they had until at least 7:30 before anyone else arrived.

Rachel had just finished putting her lip gloss on when she saw Finn's beat up old truck pulling into the parking lot. Finn, like usual, fought the urge to run over to Rachel's car and do her in the backseat so as not to draw attention and walked into the school. Rachel waited two painstakingly long minutes to follow Finn in and more eagerly than she even thought possible grabbed her school bag and purse and booked it into the school.

Once inside, Rachel quickly shoved her stuff in her locker and hastily made her way to Finn's classroom. She knocked when she got to his door and opened it slowly. Finn was sitting at his desk wearing a smirk as she closed the door behind her and locked it.

"You're two minutes late," he said sternly.

"Well Mr. Hudson, I guess that means you'll just need to punish me," she said in a sweet voice with a cute little pout. She walked forward more and Finn stood up to tower over her. Rachel stuck her hand out and found the ruler that had already been out on Finn's desk. "I think a good spanking would be in order."

Rachel placed the ruler in his hands and turned around to face his desk. She lifted her dress over her backside and Finn's breath caught in his throat causing him to begin coughing. All Rachel had on was a very thin black lacy thong which showed off her flawless round behind perfectly. She shook it a little at him as she leaned down on her elbows on the desk and looked back at him expectantly.

"I'm ready for my spanking, Mr. Hudson." Rachel's eyes smoldered as she caught Finn's and a cheesy grin crossed his face. Before he doled out her punishment however he stood directly behind Rachel and ran his hands over her ass, leaning forward so his entire body rested over hers. His lips rested by her ear and he spoke softly.

"Miss Berry, you've been a very naughty girl. Showing up late, making me hard during class, sending me flirty texts during the day? You can't do all that and expect to get away with it." Finn ground himself against Rachel to show her how aroused he was already, lowering his voice and growling out, "I'm going to torture you."

Rachel could almost feel her pupils dilate with lust and the rush of wetness accompanying it was almost too much to bear. She felt Finn pull away but could still feel his hands on her ass.

"You really do have the most perfect ass I've ever seen." He pulled the panties away from her body and snapped them back down on her. She yelped a little in surprise and looked back at Finn.

"Do it again," she mumbled out lowly. Finn did it once more but this time added a soft whack with the ruler behind it. "Harder!"

Finn added a little more force behind the next smack and Rachel moaned, tossing her head back. He leaned back down on top of her. "Had enough?" he growled out.

Rachel just shook her head, hair flying about wildly. "No, I need more and harder."

Finn pulled away again and smacked her harder in a quick succession. She just moaned more wildly as he did it repeatedly. A red mark really began to appear after a few harder smacks and Rachel reached back to rub her ass. Finn could tell she'd had enough which was fine by him as he needed to release his raging boner and fuck her already.

Sensing Finn was finished, Rachel made to stand back up straight but he pressed on her back to keep her down. "I'm not done yet." He could see Rachel smile as she complied and bent forward again. Finn finally undid his pants and released himself from their constraints then tugged Rachel's thong off her. He spread her legs a little more and teasingly ran his fingers up and down her dripping wet heat. "Fuck Rach. I missed you so much."

He pushed his fingers into her exacting a moan from her willing body. He took his time fingering her and stroking every part of her except for where she wanted it most. "Finn, please, I need you in me now. Please," he had Rachel whining almost to the point of crying from how torturously slow he was touching her.

She pressed her body back trying to force him to relinquish and Finn finally pulled his fingers from her, placing them at his lips and licking her juices from them. Now more than ready to fuck Rachel like crazy, Finn teased her entrance with his tip before thrusting deeply into her forcefully. She cried out in pleasure and pushed her hips back down against him.

He started slowly, drawing it out and making Rachel whine for even more. "Why are you teasing me so much? I just want you to fuck me!" she whimpered more.

Finn leaned forward moving her dress further up her body and over her head to reveal her completely bare back. She hadn't worn a bra to school. He slid his hands up her taught stomach to hold her breasts and kissed her shoulder before whispering into her ear again. "'Patience is a virtue, Rach'," he quoted back to her with a hint of humor in his voice before thrusting into her quickly again. He held her tightly against his body, fondling her breasts as she lay under him gripping the front of his desk while he slammed into her roughly again and again. Her ass fit snugly against his hips every time he would press against her body and he felt absolutely huge taking Rachel from this angle.

"You're so fucking perfect," Finn breathed out as he pushed into her again. _I love you_ Finn thought as he pulled back out and pounded back into her. He wanted so bad to be able to say it out loud but something told him not to. The middle of fornicating on a desk at school was not the best place to tell the woman you loved that you love her.

"Oh, right there Finn, right there. Don't…stooo-" Rachel couldn't even finish her sentence as she came with her mouth wide open and her eyes screwed tightly shut. Her walls fluttered wildly around Finn's length but surprisingly it hadn't prompted his own release.

Rachel collapsed on the desk with Finn still inside her as her heart beat wildly in her chest. She was sweaty and drained and it wasn't even eight am. She noticed Finn had stopped moving and wondered if he had come himself. Her hands ran down Finn's sides and she turned her head to try to see his face.

"Did you come yet?" she asked almost concerned.

He just shook his head no at her.

She smirked at him. "I can take care of that." Rachel pushed on Finn's body to get him to pull out and stood up straight. She fixed her hair so it was all to one side and pushed Finn down into his chair before getting on her knees before him. With a smile and a twinkle in her eye, Rachel took Finn in her hand and began smoothing her wetness and his own over his hard, smooth shaft. It always surprised her how much she loved the feel of a dick in her hand; how it was hard yet soft at the same time.

"I love your cock, Finn. You're so _big_," she announced in awe.

The only response Finn seemed able to give was his cock twitching at the admission. He forced himself to swallow as Rachel started licking from the base of his length to the tip. She flicked her tongue over it a few times then licked back down, never breaking eye contact as she did so. Rachel went even lower to take his balls into her mouth and continued pumping him with her hand. When her hair fell in her face blocking his view, Finn brushed it out of the way and held it back for her.

"You're right, Finn. I do taste good," Rachel announced when she tore her mouth from his skin. She had never given Finn a blowjob after he'd been inside her already so the concentration of her own juices on him was pretty great.

Rachel licked her lips to moisten them before sucking on his tip. She slowly took more of his cock into her mouth, still maintaining eye contact then pulled back up. She did this a few more times before quickening her pace until finally Finn couldn't stand it anymore and turned brick hard. Rachel could tell he was going to burst and decided to try something new. Generally Rachel was a swallower but today she was feeling extra frisky and seconds before he exploded, Rachel stopped her motions. His hot cum spilled out onto Rachel's chest as she sat up and held Finn's cock between her breasts, rubbing up and down to finish him off.

When he was finished, Rachel kissed his tip lovingly and dipped her finger in the sticky white substance on her chest. She swiped most of it off bringing it to her mouth but left the tiniest bit on her body. Finn went to grab a tissue to clean her off but she shook her head as she stood up and got into his lap.

"It might be a little strange but I kind of don't want to clean it off. I want to leave it there as a little reminder of our morning." She wrapped her arms around Finn's shoulders as she snuggled closer into his body.

He ran his hand up and down her back while his other hand smoothed over her thigh. "Aren't you afraid people will see it?"

Rachel shook her head. "I wore a high necked dress today so no one will even know. Like I said, I like when you come in me because we're so much more connected then but that didn't happen today and I thought this would be a good substitute albeit a little kinky."

Finn pulled Rachel down for a light kiss. When they broke he pressed his forehead to hers, eyes closed. "You're so amazingly sexy, you know that?"

Rachel ran her hands through Finn's hair and rested her hand at the back of his neck. "You're sexier."

Finn drew back looking scandalized. "I most certainly am not. My ass is okay but yours is out of this world and so are your sexy legs and your adorable belly button and your hot little boobs and your sex hair and your cute face. You're the ultimate package babe."

They both chuckled and Rachel looked at the clock. "We still have some time before I should get redressed and, you know, I've _really_ missed that wonderful mouth of yours." She arched her eyebrow at him and Finn lifted her up forcing a squeal from her and set her out on his desk. He swiveled his chair to settle between her open legs. She placed her feet on the arm rests and watched as Finn kissed his way up her legs to her center.

He took his time playing her like an instrument, fine tuning the 'ooh's', 'more's' and 'Finn's'. She was a dream to go down on because she truly appreciated everything he did. Rachel watched him intently as he pressed his face into her, taking her clit between his lips and sucking. Finn could tell Rachel was trying so hard to keep from coming too soon. She wanted Finn between her legs for as long as she could keep him which he didn't mind in the least.

He spent nearly fifteen minutes pleasuring her before she had to let go due to time restraints. If left to continue Finn was pretty sure he could have spent all day with his mouth on Rachel's pussy as he knew it made her happy and that was all he needed out of life. Finn was ecstatic for the day he'd finally be able to keep her and make love to her without time getting in the way.

Rachel watched Finn pull his pants back up as she slipped her dress back on. She would never be able to get enough of him. "I can still come over after school, right?"

Finn looked up at her smiling. "Definitely." He pulled Rachel into an embrace. "I wish I could throw you over my shoulder and run home but I've got freshman coming in soon. You should probably get out of here before anyone comes by."

She leaned up to kiss Finn goodbye. "I'll see you 6th period. That's so far away."

"I know, babe. We can make it though. Just think of all the time we can spend together later."

Rachel glared at him. "Imagining you with your head between my legs is not helping, Finn."

He chuckled and kissed her again. "I'll see you later."

She reluctantly pulled away from her boyfriend and checked to make sure she didn't leave anything behind and that she didn't look like she'd just been having fabulous sex with her English teacher. "Bye Finn."

She opened the classroom door and made sure no one was around before stepping out and facing the day head on.

By lunch, Rachel was horny again and really wanted Finn's touch. Unfortunately they didn't have the same lunch period so they couldn't even sneak off together. Luckily, English was next period and she would get to see Finn again.

"What are you smiling like an idiot about?" Kurt asked as he came up to their lunch table and sat down, Blaine and Santana already seated.

Rachel huffed, trying to cover up her blush. "I'm not smiling like an idiot."

"Actually, you have been for about five minutes now," Blaine commented before sucking in a piece of spaghetti.

"Whatever. I'm just excited for rehearsal tonight. We're working on 'I Feel Pretty' finally and you know that's my favorite song," she stated with an air of finality.

"That's if Mrs. Schmidt shows up. No one has seen her all day," Santana added to the conversation. "This show cannot get cancelled. The last two spring musicals ended in disaster but this one _will not_."

"Oh I agree. This is our last chance to actually perform. Plus, I am Maria. She's a dream role and I will not let her slip through my fingers."

"We all know you just want to be Maria so you have an excuse to kiss my boyfriend again," Kurt announced drolly. The table laughed but Rachel mockingly so.

"Ha ha, that was one time and it was spin-the-bottle. I'm not trying to steal your man who isn't even interested. I can get my own guy."

"Please, you haven't had a guy since St. Douchebag. Blaine is the most action you've had in nearly a year." Santana smirked at Rachel like she actually knew what she was talking about. Oh how wrong she was.

Rachel just smiled and ate her spaghetti acting oblivious. "For your information, I don't want a high school boy. I'm saving myself for a real man." It wasn't a total lie.

"Okay Berry, whatever you say," Santana chuckled going back to eating.

Rachel knew her friends thought she was a goody-two-shoes who had the sex appeal of one of the kittens that often adorned her sweaters but if they knew the truth they would be shocked into silence. Even Santana had never gone so far as to sleep with a man in a position of power over her and Rachel knew it because her best friend felt the need to tell her about every sexual exploit she had ever partaken in. Rachel had never even seen Noah Puckerman's penis but she could probably describe it to him in perfect detail.

"So Rachel, are you joining us for Valentine's dinner tomorrow night at Breadstix? I know you're single but you should still come. It'll be fun," Kurt suggested.

"Wow, being the fifth wheel to you and Blaine and Santana and Brittany? Sounds like a blast, Kurt!" Rachel crowed sarcastically. "No, thank you. I'd rather sit at home by myself watching _West Side Story_." She wouldn't be at home by herself watching _West Side Story_, but they didn't need to know what her actual plans were.

"I just thought I'd ask so you would feel included."

Rachel finished her spaghetti and stood up to return her tray. "I'm going to go to the auditorium to see if I can work on some sets. We really need to get moving on those."

"I'll come with you," Santana said, standing up with her tray too.

She smiled tightly at the girl. "Okay, let's go." Damn. She wasn't actually going to work on sets. Rachel just wanted a moment to herself to send some flirty texts to Finn but now she'd have to work.

They walked into the auditorium and found some AV kids there already working on sets themselves. Unfortunately, Jacob Ben Israel was one of them.

"Rachel! Hello, Rachel." Jacob got up from the floor when he saw Rachel and Santana walk onto the stage. "You are looking radiant as ever today."

A disgusted forced smile crossed her face as Jacob eyed her up and down. "Thank you. I'm just going to paint over there." She walked away quickly, Santana and Jacob following behind her.

"So did you hear the news?" Jacob asked the two girls as they found some paint and brushes.

"What news? Is it more of your libelous gossip?" Rachel asked snidely.

Jacob shook his head, his Jewfro bouncing wildly. "No, this is real. Mrs. Schmidt is in the hospital."

Rachel snapped to attention. "What? Why is she in the hospital?"

"She was in a car accident yesterday. Broke both of her femurs; she won't be able to walk again for a very long time which means no musical. I just came by here to ask the theatre geeks how they felt about it for my next blog update."

Santana interjected. "Where are you getting your information from?"

Jacob whipped out his phone and found the email the school had sent out about Mrs. Schmidt's accident. He hadn't been lying. Mrs. Schmidt really had been in a devastating car accident and the musical really was in jeopardy if they couldn't find a replacement faculty advisor.

Rachel began to tear up. "But, they can't cancel the musical. They can't!" Perhaps she should have been more concerned with Mrs. Schmidt's health and safety but she couldn't help the feel of dread that washed over her at the thought of losing her part. This musical had to happen; she needed to be Maria!

"Figgins can and he will if no one steps up by the end of the week." Jacob shrugged. "Well my pet, I need to go. I have people to interview and news to report." He leaned forward to try to kiss Rachel but she angrily shoved him off and Santana threatened to rip his 'nads from his body if he tried it again.

For the remainder of the period Rachel cried into Santana's arms over the horrible turn of events. When the bell rang, Rachel tried to clean herself up so Finn wouldn't notice she had been crying heavily but her nose and eyes were still red when she walked into his classroom. He took one look at her and she could tell that his mind was reeling with questions she needed to answer.

Luckily, that day the class was starting a movie. They would be watching the original Disney _Alice in Wonderland_ to accompany the book which they had been reading for the past week now. Once the movie was on, no one paid attention and went about texting or secretly listening to their iPods, even Mr. Hudson.

Rachel's phone lit up in her purse on her desk and she dug it out seeing it was a text from Cowboy.

_**What happened?**_

She looked up at Finn and saw the concern on his face. He wanted to talk to her in person but at the moment it was impossible.

_It's a long story. I'll tell you later._

_**Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?**_

_I'm fine. Can we talk about it later please? I don't want to do this over the phone. _Rachel looked up at him pleadingly and he nodded.

For the rest of the period Finn was restless. He wanted to know what had Rachel so upset she was crying. If someone had hurt her, he would kill them. No one touched his Rachel. He didn't care if everyone found out about them from it; he would protect her at all costs, no matter what he had to do.

He could tell Rachel was trying to focus on the movie but every so often her eyes would find his and she would smile at him. Finn would risk a smile back and send her texts which started sweet and got progressively raunchier every time it happened.

_**You're so beautiful.**_

_**I miss your lips on mine.**_

_**I can't wait until later, babe.**_

_**All I can think about is my cum on your chest.**_

_**Fuck, I just really need to be buried inside you right now. You're so tight.**_

_**I'm going to fuck you so hard tonight your ancestors will feel it and get pregnant.**_

Rachel let out an audible laugh at the last text which earned her a few strange stares. She looked up at Finn who even in the dark she could tell had begun to blush.

_Can't wait, Cowboy. ;)_

Finn had to fight to keep his boner at bay because of that winky face. It was astonishing how two little characters could suggest so much.

Finally the period came to an end and Finn dismissed the class. They shared a quick glance with one another before Rachel got caught up in the rush of students heading for the door. Rachel's last two periods dragged on as she thought about Finn and the musical and a million other things instead of focusing on her schoolwork. Eventually they too ended however and it was time for musical rehearsal. Though Mrs. Schmidt wouldn't be there, Rachel knew she had to go to evaluate the situation.

"So what are we going to do?" Artie asked the cast and crew who had all gathered in front of the stage for a meeting.

"There has to be someone who can take over for her. They don't even have to do any work, we just need their name," Rachel said aloud to the group.

Santana rolled her eyes. "No one is going to put their name on this. Even Mr. Schue doesn't want to work on the musical this year."

"Rachel's right though. I already do most of the directing and you guys have built the sets and worked on the costumes. We just need a name. So why don't we each try to find a teacher who we think could be a good substitute for Mrs. Schmidt? It can't be that hard just to get a name." Artie looked around at the group gauging their thoughts on his idea.

"That's actually not a bad idea. So everyone, just pick one teacher," Rachel offered, looking around at the group. She was hoping that the teacher she had in mind would be willing to help her out.

The group of theatre students rehearsed as normal in the hopes that a replacement faculty advisor would surface. Rachel nailed 'I Feel Pretty' almost immediately and since it had gone so well, Artie let her and a few other cast members leave so he could work on other scenes that needed more assistance.

Rachel said goodbye to her friends and zoomed over to Finn's apartment as fast as her car could take her legally. She parked two blocks away like usual and ran through the back way finally arriving at his apartment a little sweaty and out of breath. As soon as he answered her knocks she pounced on him and without even removing their clothes, Finn held her against the door and pounded into her.

It was several rounds and locations later that they finally got around to talking about why Rachel had been upset earlier.

"Mrs. Schmidt is the hospital and won't be back in time for the musical. We can't continue on without a faculty advisor and that's why I was so upset. Maria is my last shot at a musical leading lady role in high school and I need it. All my roles have been in school plays but never musicals because for some reason they always fall through. I've already been accepted to school but this is just a personal dream of mine. I may never get to play Maria after this," Rachel explained from her position in Finn's arms on his living room floor.

They were sprawled out on some couch pillows with a thin blanket covering their naked bodies. Finn ran his hand over her back while her head rested on his arm. His other hand was holding onto Rachel's leg which was hitched comfortably over his middle. She danced her fingers over his chest as she spoke.

"That really sucks, Rach. I'm sorry."

"Yeah." Rachel looked into Finn's face as he stared down at her. "But Artie, our student director, and I came up with the idea that we just need a name. The teacher doesn't even have to show up if they don't want to since we do all the work anyway. All we need is a teacher's name to keep going." She looked back down at his chest and her fingers still swirling over his skin.

Finn had an idea of where she was going with this. She wanted him to put in his name as faculty advisor. He wanted to but he wasn't sure it was such a good idea. He already had a hard enough time controlling his urges around her in English, he'd have to work even harder if they spent every after school period with each other as well. Plus, he knew nothing about musicals.

"I was hoping, maybe, you could put your name in." Rachel propped herself up on her elbow to see his face better. "You wouldn't even need to go to rehearsal or anything if you didn't want to. Well, maybe once in a while because sometimes Principal Figgins and Coach Sylvester stop by to see how things are going, but for the most part it wouldn't be any more work for you than you already have and I'd be forever grateful." She leaned down pressing her lips to Finn's and moving her leg to stroke his member. "_Very_ grateful.

Finn groaned under her touch. He knew he was going to lose this battle. He was putty in her hands and they both knew it.

"Please, Finn." She whined, gently rubbing her nose against his, still stroking him below the waist. Her kisses started up again and began moving southward as she climbed on top of him. She made it to his chest and sucked on his nipple, her tongue playing with it momentarily before continuing to move down his body. Finally she was just a bobbing bump under the blanket as she gave Finn the best incentive ever to saying yes to her proposal.

A few minutes later, Rachel came back up wiping her smiling mouth as Finn agreed.

"I'll talk to Figgins tomorrow. I'll be your faculty advisor."

Rachel beamed at him and clapped her hands together in elation. "Thank you, Finn! Thank you," she kissed his face, "thank you," she kissed him again, "thank you," once more, "thank you. You're the best boyfriend ever."

"Yeah, I am," Finn said a little cockily. Rachel just giggled at him.

"You won't regret this, Finn. I promise."


	4. Valentine's Day Declarations

Because I love you all and hate doing homework, I wrote up another chapter! Enjoy!

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><p>The next day at school the news of Mr. Hudson's takeover of the musical spread throughout the theatre geek community and everyone was rejoicing at the happy event. They would get their spring musical finally and it was all thanks to Rachel. All day anytime someone from the musical saw Rachel they thanked her for persuading Mr. Hudson to agree to put in his name to which she always responded, "It was no problem; I was happy to do it." It really had been her pleasure since she always enjoyed giving Finn head.<p>

When she made it to lunch, Kurt, Blaine and Santana all greeted her with big smiles.

"So, how did you do it? What did you have to say to get Mr. Hudson to agree to take over?" Kurt asked with enthusiasm. Like Rachel, Kurt had always had a bit of a soft spot for their English teacher and was quite excited to get to see him more often outside of class.

Rachel simply shrugged trying to play it off like it wasn't a big deal. "I merely appealed to his philanthropic do-gooder side, stating that we would be very grateful if he could only put his name down." _And let him shoot his cum down my throat_ she added to herself, smiling a little at the memory.

"Well, whatever you said or did, thanks Rachel. You saved the musical," Blaine praised before popping a tater tot in his mouth.

"I kinda did, didn't I?" She giggled in self-satisfaction and suddenly felt the need to thank Finn again. She stood up leaving her tray on the table.

"Where are you going?" Kurt asked. "You haven't even eaten yet!"

"I just need to use the bathroom. I'll be right back." Before Santana could offer to go with her, Rachel rushed off in the direction of Mr. Hudson's room. When she arrived Rachel knocked on the door. Finn answered a little surprised but elated nonetheless.

"Miss Berry, what a surprise? What can I do for you?" He smiled down at her.

"Could you possibly spare a moment, Mr. Hudson? I have a concern regarding the musical I _must_ speak with you about." She winked at him and knew that whatever he was doing in class was going to wait.

He turned around and addressed his class. "Okay class, I just need to step out momentarily. Just read through Act 2, Scene 2 quietly to yourselves and when I get back we'll discuss exactly what Romeo and Juliet are talking about on that balcony." He smiled at them and left the freshmen to themselves to read even though he knew they'd probably just start talking, texting and acting like idiots.

Finn followed Rachel out of the classroom and down the hallway that led to the sound booth of the auditorium. Rachel stepped inside first and when sure no one was around to see, Finn followed after her into the small dark room. They left the light off to be sure no one would notice them up there and Rachel pressed Finn back against the door as he shut it.

"The only problem with dating you is that I'm always so horny and always so impatient," Rachel commented as she started undoing his pants.

Finn ran his hands through Rachel's hair and pulled her face to his to kiss her. "I know what you mean. I had to hide my erection earlier from Brittany Pierce when you sent me that text with the little preview of what you might be wearing tonight." His hands slid down her body to grip her ass while Rachel's found their way into Finn's underwear. She pulled him out and stroked him until he was hard.

"I just really wanted to thank you again for taking over the musical. It means so much to me and to everyone involved. As my thank you, you can feel free to do with me whatever you want right now." He could feel her lips pull up into a smile against his.

"Babe, I just really want to fuck you right now." He picked her up and laid her out forcefully on the table along the back wall, ripping her underwear from her body. Finn shoved her skirt up her body and noticed she was glistening already.

"Fuck, I love your pussy," he growled out, stroking himself before thrusting into her harshly. She cried out, whipping her head back as she held onto Finn's shoulders for support. She wailed and grew wetter as Finn pounded into her, slapping their hips together quickly resulting in a smacking sound making the table squeak and scratch the floor.

Almost angrily, Finn ripped Rachel's blouse open, buttons popping off in every direction and pulled her breasts out from the cups of her bra. He leaned forward to take a nipple in his mouth and Rachel held onto his head, moaning louder as his teeth bit down on her tit.

Normally Rachel wasn't one for aggressive sex but she was so beyond hot right now. Feral Finn was sexy and powerful and he made her feel like she was his and his alone, like he was marking her and if anyone tried to take her, he'd fight them for her. Feeling extremely turned on, Rachel reached down between them and began rubbing her clit frantically trying to gain release.

She started convulsing around him almost instantly. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuuuuuck!" she screeched as she gushed around Finn, her legs tightening around his body. When she started to come down, Rachel could feel Finn getting harder and she could see on his face that he was coming. His body shook with the force and moaned loudly before completely collapsing on top of Rachel and slamming her back onto the table. They rested for a few minutes until Finn needed to pull out. His cum trickled out of her and he licked his lips.

Rachel was the only woman he'd ever not used condoms with and Finn was the only one Rachel let come inside her without one. It was something so simple yet felt so binding between them that it infuriated Finn if he even thought about another man ever getting to be this intimate with Rachel. He stared at the sticky substance dripping down her slit and reached out to swipe some of it up with his thumb.

Rachel watched in fascination as Finn brought his thumb up to his mouth and licked their mixed cum off. Needing more of the taste and her, Finn dropped to his knees and eagerly licked her clean. The entire time she gripped his hair tightly and writhed about, whimpering as he made her come again, a fresh wave of juices flowing from her body and coating Finn's face as he stayed their lapping it up.

When Finn and Rachel finally exited the sound booth, both looked disheveled and completely red faced and fucked. Rachel walked in a bit of daze as her hair stuck up on one side and her skirt was slightly askew, blouse buttons ripped off and the opening exposing her bra clad chest. Finn leered cockily as he adjusted his tie and smoothed out his hair which was sticking up every which way.

No one was around so Finn snuck in a quick kiss before asking Rachel if he looked decent enough to return to class. Once she wiped the lip gloss off his face, Rachel sent him on his way with a smack to his behind and headed to her locker to get her sweater to put over her now ruined shirt. She would have to suffer through the rest of the day with a bare ass as her underwear was destroyed beyond repair but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Jesus Rachel, that had to be the longest piss ever," Santana greeted when she got back to the cafeteria.

"What?" Rachel asked confused. Her mind was still back in the sound booth until she remembered her excuse for leaving. "Oh, yeah, I had to go up to my locker and grab my sweater because some guys threw slushie on my shirt." She hoped her acting skills were shining through enough that they would believe her and not question where she'd been. Despite a skeptical glare from Kurt, thankfully they went back to whatever conversation they had been having prior to her return and let her eat in silence until the period ended.

On her walk back up to Finn's classroom for English, it was necessary for Rachel to keep pulling her skirt down to make sure no one would be able to tell she wasn't wearing underwear. Now that her head was clear she wasn't as pleased with Finn ripping them off her body as she had been before. He would definitely pay for it later.

She walked into the room and took her seat, staring at Finn's cute ass as he wrote questions they were to answer about the movie on the board. As she sat in the front of the room and everyone was seated, she decided to start her payback a little early. Carefully, to make sure the people on either side of her wouldn't notice what she was doing, Rachel slouched down so her lower body stuck out from under the top of her desk more. She hiked her skirt up her thighs more than usual and waited until Finn turned around, a smirk on her lips.

"Okay, class, I want you to thi-i-ink," he stuttered as he turned around and found Rachel's bare womanhood staring him in the face in front of a full classroom of students. He averted his gaze and cleared his throat, tilting his head trying to pick up from where he left off. "I want you to think about these questions as you watch the, the um, the…movie, that's what it's called." He cleared his throat again and noticed that Rachel was trying very hard to keep from laughing. Then she made matters even worse by dropping her hand between her legs and stroking herself while keeping a totally straight face.

"Just watch the movie," he barked out, jolting a few students and making Rachel's hand fly away from her body and sit up straight again, covering her body and crossing her legs tightly. Finn flicked the light off and hit play.

Rachel saw her phone light up in her purse on the floor and quickly checked her message from Cowboy.

_**You are such a fucking tease and you will pay for that.**_

Rachel swiftly replied. _Looking forward to it. ;)_ She went back to watching the movie and Finn actually attempted to do some work while the class was occupied. The film finished before the period was over and Finn gave them the time to formulate answers to the questions he had written on the board about the themes in the book and how they compared to those in the movie in small groups.

Kurt, Rachel and Mercedes formed a group at the front of the class and went to work on their answers but five minutes before the bell rang, Rachel was distracted by a Cheerio uniform walking past her up to Finn's desk. She paid very close attention without making it seem that way as Quinn Fabray spoke to her boyfriend.

"Hi, Mr. Hudson," she began with a smile.

"Hello, Quinn. Whadya need?" Finn folded his hands over his desk and looked happily up at the girl who Rachel wished she could vaporize with her current death stare.

Quinn cleared her throat and handed Finn a flyer. "My church is having a lonely hearts type dinner tonight for Valentine's Day and I was wondering if you might be interested. I know you're single-"

"Actually, I do have a girlfriend." Finn's eyes shifted over to Rachel who was squealing on the inside then quickly back to Quinn who hadn't appeared to notice his glance.

Her mouth fell open a little as her eyebrows raised in surprise. "Oh, okay. Well, it is open to couples too so you could bring her along…" Quinn continued on in vain.

"I'm sorry Quinn, but my girlfriend and I actually have plans for tonight. Thanks for the offer though." Finn smiled at her and she smiled uneasily back before walking sadly to her seat.

_That's right. He's mine, so back off_ Rachel cattily thought to herself as she watched Quinn stare longingly up Finn.

Since Finn had started at McKinley Rachel hadn't been the only one to show signs of affection toward him. Girls, and Kurt Hummel, constantly barraged him with compliments and questions about his plans for the weekend or holidays and he had been asked out a few times by some female members of the faculty too. Finn was apparently a stud at McKinley but he didn't really care. Once he realized he was smitten with Rachel, other women didn't seem to do it for him and when they started hooking up Finn really didn't want anyone else. Rachel was it for him and always would be which was why he was planning on finally dropping the 'L' bomb on her tonight.

Though Rachel had a flair for the dramatics, Finn had planned them a simple night together. The goal was to keep everything low key so nothing could trump the moment he'd tell her how he felt. It was a big step and one he had never taken in 24 years of living despite having four girlfriends who were not Rachel so he was pretty nervous. He prayed numerous times that nothing would go wrong and that Rachel wouldn't be overwhelmed by his declaration of love for her.

The bell rang and everyone leapt out of their seats and headed for the door except for Rachel. She remained seated until the room cleared before the next class could come in and Finn walked over to her to smirk down at her. He furled his fingers around the edges of the desk and leaned forward very close to Rachel's face.

"You tell people you have a girlfriend?" Rachel asked quietly as she stared up at him through her lashes.

Finn nodded. "Of course I do, because you're my girlfriend, babe."

Rachel smiled. "I need to get to my next class. I'll see you after glee."

He pulled away from Rachel and stood up straight just before the students from his next class began entering. Rachel got up and smiled at him. "I'll see you later, Mr. Hudson." She waved slightly at him and walked out of the room holding her skirt down still.

Her last two periods flew by without issue but glee was another story. They were working on new choreography that day and for some reason Mr. Schuester had decided that the guys needed to pick the girls up bridal style and swing them around which was problematic as Rachel really did not want to flash everyone her lady bits. She feigned sick and Mr. Schuester let her leave early. Rachel used the time to run home quickly and change into a new less destroyed outfit making sure to put on the new underwear she bought specifically for the day.

Rachel arrived at Finn's around four o'clock ready to celebrate Valentine's Day. She put on a pretty black trimmed pastel pink wrap dress that would be easy enough to take off when the time came and wore some very uncomfortable but very sexy black satin 'fuck me' pumps. Finn hadn't said exactly what he had planned for their evening but she was hoping there were _a lot_ of amazing orgasms in her future.

She knocked on the door and Finn answered a few seconds later wearing a lovely grey sweater and a pair of dark wash jeans that she had a feeling made his ass look like a million bucks. All Rachel wanted to do was tackle him to the ground and ravish him.

"Hey babe," Finn said as he pulled Rachel into his apartment and closed and locked the door behind her. He helped her with her coat then wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Happy Valentine's Day, Rachel." He pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Finn." She turned in his arms and gave him a deep kiss. He walked them toward the couch and upon hitting the arm, fell onto it eliciting a scream from Rachel as Finn landed on top of her. She giggled as he apologized but assuaged his worry about hurting her with more kissing. They spent a few marvelous minutes making-out on Finn's couch until a timer went off in the kitchen.

"I should go finish dinner. It's almost done," he said, breaking their kiss and brushing her bangs out of her eyes.

"Can we just skip dinner and go right to dessert?" She bit her lip and waggled her eyebrows.

"Nope. We're doing dinner first." Finn climbed off Rachel. "We'll need energy for all of my plans for tonight." He wiggled his own eyebrows back at her as he walked back into the kitchen. Rachel got off the couch herself and walked over to the dining room and kitchen area.

"What will be supplying us with energy tonight exactly?" Rachel glanced down at the romantic place setting for two complete with lit candles, a bottle of wine, the finest china a straight bachelor in Ohio would own and even cloth napkins and smiled to herself. It was so cute how he had gone all out for their little home date.

Finn carried the completed dish out to the table and set it down in the center. He pulled a seat out for Rachel and gave her a kiss before sitting down himself. "The house special for tonight is penne pasta with eggplant. I remembered that you said your dads made eggplant for dinner one night so I knew you liked it. I hope that's okay."

Rachel beamed at him. "I love eggplant. Thank you so much." She reached her hand out to take Finn's and squeeze it in thanks.

Finn spooned some of their dinner out onto her plate and they ate, happily chatting away about whatever topics they could think of that weren't school related. After their pasta and eggplant had been devoured, Finn brought out vegan chocolate mousse. Finn happened to glance at the clock and noticed it was five pm already. He began to panic as he thought he might not have enough time to properly tell Rachel how he felt about her.

Worry creased his brow and Rachel looked concerned. "What's wrong, Finn?"

"Do you need to go soon? Will your dads be wondering where you are?"

Rachel smiled. "That's actually part of my Valentine's Day gift to you. My dads are in Cincinnati tonight seeing a concert and they're spending the night there so I can spend the night here with you tonight…if you want me to. I can go home, it doe-"

"I want you to spend the night," Finn said a little louder and more eagerly than he meant to. He had been wishing to spend an entire night with Rachel since day one. The thought of waking up holding her after sleeping in each other's arms all night was an enticing one and he was ecstatic to finally get the chance.

She giggled a little at his childlike excitement at her surprise. "Then I'll spend the night."

They sat for a little while longer chatting until Rachel excused herself to use the bathroom. Finn took the opportunity to clear off the table and check that he was groomed and fresh enough for his declaration and following love making before moving into the living room, taking the wine and their glasses with him.

Rachel came back out and found him sitting quietly on the couch. She plopped down next to him and snuggled against his body. "Tonight has been great so far, Finn. Thank you for dinner and dessert." She leaned up to press a gentle kiss to his lips and tried to deepen it but Finn stopped her.

"Rach, before we go further, there's something that I need to tell you. These past 12 days have been the best of my life."

"Mine too, Finn. I'm so glad I accidentally turned in my erotic dream I had about you." She tried kissing Finn again but he pushed her back.

"There's more. Even before we hooked up in my classroom I had feelings for you, deeper than just physical ones. You were, are, one of my favorite students and just one of my favorite people in general."

Rachel looked at him lovingly. "You're one of my favorite people too, Finn."

"Which is why I need to tell you the truth."

Suddenly Rachel's heart and face fell. This couldn't be good. What was Finn hiding from her? Was he married? Did he have another girlfriend? Did he have kids he hadn't told her about? Rachel's heart beat erratically as the most insane thoughts crossed her mind.

"I'm in love with you, Rachel. I've wanted to tell you for days now but the timing just never seemed right and then I thought, well, Valentine's Day. It's the most romantic day of the year, right? So, I'm telling you now that I love you. I love you so much, Rachel." He took Rachel's hands in his and waited for her response.

Rachel's heart continued to beat erratically but for an entirely new reason. Finn wasn't confessing some deep dark secret that could tear them apart; he was declaring his love for her. Rachel teared up and smiled brightly back at him.

"I love you too, Finn. I love you, too." She put her hand on Finn's cheek and leaned forward to kiss him, both of them grinning like fools. Rachel climbed into Finn's lap and kissed him more frantically before beginning to tug on the bottom of his sweater. "I wanna make love, Finn. Please make love to me," she begged breathily.

The thought just struck him that even though they had had sex dozens of times in the past 12 days, none of those instances had been making love. You needed to be in love to make love and they hadn't taken that leap yet to confess their deeper devotion, but now they had. For the first time, Finn and Rachel would get to make love.

Finn held Rachel tightly to his body as he lifted them off the couch and carried her to his bedroom, kissing her continuously. They only broke when he laid her out on the bed and pulled his sweater and undershirt off simultaneously. Rachel looked around at Finn's room and gasped a little. He really had gone all out.

Candles covered nearly every flat surface of the room while there were vases of roses on both side tables by his bed. Music was playing softly in the background already and by the fluffy pillows Rachel didn't even know Finn had there was the cutest stuffed cupid bear shooting an arrow.

"Finn, you decorated," Rachel exulted. She sat up and ran her hands down his body until she was unbuttoning his jeans.

"Yeah, I thought you'd appreciate it."

"I do. And the bear is very cute."

"He's for you." Finn's pants fell to the floor and he kicked them away. He stood there in his boxers and socks while Rachel stood up. She maneuvered them so that she could push Finn onto the bed and removed his socks. She stood in front of him and slowly untied her dress.

Rachel licked her lips and gave him a sultry stare. "Are you ready for the second half of your Valentine's Day gift?" All he could do was nod, mouth agape.

Rachel let the tie of the dress fall to her sides and slowly pulled it open letting the material fall away from her body to reveal a sexy black and red lace bra and panty set.

Finn couldn't believe it. He was in love with a woman who could rival any Victoria's Secret model and actually wanted to have sex with him every chance she could get. She had an ass people would die for, legs that went on for miles, the most perfect boobs ever to fondle for hours, the softest lips in the world, a mouth that could do things to him that made his toes curl, knew how to use her body in the best way and the best part was that she was all his and his alone. Finn Hudson was one lucky son of a bitch.

"You're so fucking sexy," he breathed out as Rachel crawled onto the bed. She let out a sexy giggle as her hair fell in her face. Rachel crawled up his body and he pulled her against him rolling them over so he was on top. "I love you, Rachel."

"I will never get tired of hearing you say that, Finn. I love you too."

Finn unhooked Rachel's bra and pulled it away from her body. His lips trailed down her heated skin making her shiver and writhe around under him until he got to her lacy panties. He sat up and worked the fabric down her legs before shimmying out of his own underwear. Finn leaned forward and caged Rachel in with his body.

"Are you ready?" he mumbled out. Rachel just nodded her head and Finn found his way into her. He was slow and passionate as he made love to Rachel. She moaned and whined as they rolled around on the bed feeling more connected than ever now that all the feelings were out there.

Rachel was on top of him when she started slipping into unadulterated bliss. "I love you," she repeated over and over between kisses as her body heaved from the exertion on top of him. It was a few seconds later when Finn followed behind her.

They laid there holding each other, glowing in happiness.

"This was the best Valentine's Day ever," Rachel commented, pressing herself even closer to Finn.

"And it's not even over yet. You're still gonna pay for that teasing you pulled during class today." Finn shot her a smug smile.

"And how will I be paying for it?" she inquired suspiciously.

Finn rolled them over so he was on top again. "I want a reenactment of your end of our phone sex the other day otherwise I may not feel up to getting you off again." Rachel could tell he was joking but she didn't really mind his request.

Rachel sighed in mock exasperation. "I suppose, but only because I love you." She booped his nose and he chuckled.

"I love you too, babe."


	5. Somewhere There's A Place For Us

I had homework block so I decided to write the next chapter of Teacher's Pet! Yay updates!

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><p>It had been just over five weeks since Rachel and Finn had declared their love for each other and things just seemed to get better and better since. Rachel spent every moment she could with Finn in his apartment or his car or classroom if they were so eager they simply couldn't wait. But it wasn't just the love making they spent more time on, Rachel and Finn would talk and make plans and discuss the future.<p>

Finn knew Rachel had been accepted to NYU and would be leaving Lima forever after the summer which would really put a strain on their relationship as he was stationed in Lima rather permanently with his full-time job and working on his master's. Lately though he had been looking into the requirements for teaching in New York State and how much rent in the city would cost him. He wasn't lying when he said he was hoping Rachel would be in his future; he wanted to be with her and if that meant making the move to New York he would make it.

He hadn't actually voiced that he started looking but he had told Rachel that he would follow her if she wanted him to, to which she had replied with an emphatic 'I want you to' and a big thank you romp in the sheets. All of which led him to spending his free time at school the past few days on his computer looking up teaching jobs and apartments in New York City. He knew Rachel would be dorming for at least her first year but he was hoping maybe after that they could move in together. It had been awesome that first night she had stayed over and fallen asleep in his arms.

_He had been awake for a while after Rachel had drifted off to sleep, watching her lie there peacefully. She looked angelic, a small smile gracing her lips from whatever dream she was having, her hair falling softly around her face on the pillow, her naked chest rising and falling gently with her breathing. She turned from her back onto her side facing Finn, snuggling closer to him, her arm falling over her chest and pressing her breasts together. Lightly, trying not to wake her but letting her know he was there, Finn rubbed his hand up and down her side. He was so happy he could bust. He was in love with a gorgeous woman inside and out who loved him in return._

_Finn pressed his lips to Rachel's forehead. "I love you, Rachel," he mumbled against her skin._

_"Finn," she muttered lowly. For a moment Finn thought she had woken up but when he looked at her face she was still sound asleep. He smiled and wondered if she was dreaming about him or if she had heard him and was subconsciously responding, either way his heart swelled knowing he was on her mind._

_He pulled her closer to his body and just held her tucked into him until he drifted off to sleep to the sound of her deep breathing._

_When he woke in the morning, Rachel was already awake lying next to him, eyes trained on the little tent popping up at his hips._

_"Oh man, how'd that get there?" he chuckled, looking down at it before sitting up and rubbing his face. He turned back to look at Rachel who had rolled onto her back with a big grin on her face and breasts exposed, nipples already pebbled from the cold._

_"Finn, I'm cold," she stated, beginning to pout._

_He arched his eyebrow and smirked at her before turning to get on his hands and knees and crawling over her. "So pull the sheet up."_

_"I'd rather get some body heat. It's the best way to warm up and you know, it would be beneficial for you as well since I could help you hide that almost embarrassingly large erection you're sporting," she stated matter-of-factly, wrapping her arms around Finn's neck as he lifted her so they both were sitting up._

_"Where do you think I could I hide it? It's pretty big," he smiled at her._

_"I can think of a spot that will be able to accommodate it. It might be a little tight but I've never had complaints before." She giggled a little at the innuendo._

_Finn's face turned serious as he looked deep in thought. "I think I need to inspect the space first." Making her squeal, Finn swiftly laid Rachel out on the bed and kissed his way down her body, stopping to suck on her nipples and swirl his tongue around her belly button. When he arrived at her center Rachel quivered under him and he held her breasts as he ate her out to maximum peak. Before she could fully come down from her Finn-induced high, Rachel ripped his head up and flipped them over before sinking down on him and taking them both into bliss. After that they took a shower where it happened again then had breakfast accompanied by a blowjob before Rachel had to leave to make it seem like she had stayed at her own house._

After that first time, Rachel had been able to stay a Friday into Saturday two and a half weeks later as her fathers thought she would be at a sleepover with Kurt and Santana. They had basically spent the entire time naked and touching each other in some capacity whether they were making love, watching a movie or cooking and eating the food Rachel insisted on making as a treat for him. It had been perfect and he wished it never had to end but it had. Once school was over though, it wouldn't have to.

A throat clearing brought Finn out of his thoughts on Rachel. "Mr. Hudson?"

Finn looked up to see Rachel standing in front of his desk. He had been so preoccupied he hadn't even noticed her enter his empty room. He smiled brightly at her and wheeled his chair around his desk to sit her in his lap.

"Hey babe, what are you doing here? Don't you have glee club now?"

"No, it's Wednesday and everyone was wondering where you were. I offered to come and find you."

Crap. He'd totally forgotten it was Wednesday which meant it was a rehearsal day. Finn didn't go to all of them as Rachel didn't need to be at every rehearsal, but he liked to show up to the ones she was at to spend more time with her, even if they couldn't actually touch or speak to each other openly.

"You were very into your computer. What were you looking at?" She stared at him with wide and curious eyes.

Finn swallowed. Was it too soon to tell her he was looking at moving to New York with her? They had just discussed the possibility a few days ago. "Were you serious when you said you wanted me to go to New York with you?" He looked into her eyes.

"I was very serious, Finn. I love you and I want to be with you but it won't work if I'm in New York and you're here and I'm never coming back to this town again once I'm out. I know you could come to New York with me and expand your career there. You're a great teacher and everyone loves you." Rachel gave him a deep kiss and slid her hand up over his shoulder to pull him closer.

"I was looking up jobs and apartments in New York," Finn stated when their kiss broke. Rachel bit her lip and her eyebrows shot up as she tried to quell her excitement to finish letting him speak. "I've been looking ever since we had that conversation about it. I want to be wherever you are and if that's the Big Apple, that's where I'll go." He smiled at her as her thrill bubbled over.

"Finn!" she kissed him all over his face repeatedly. "That's wonderful!" She deepened her final kiss and Finn ran his hand up her leg, attempting to slip it between her thighs, but Rachel pulled it away. "We don't have time right now. I'm supposed to be rehearsing."

"But we haven't been together in days. You've been so busy…I've hardly seen you," Finn whined before kissing her neck and beginning to trail his hand under her dress again. It had been nearly five days since they had been able to have sex which was a record for them and not one either was pleased about. Between school, homework, glee, musical rehearsal, family engagements and just bad timing the pair hadn't been able to connect, but today that would change as Rachel had specifically set aside time to join him at his apartment for dinner.

"I'll be over later, Finn. You just have to wait for two hours. I promise. We just…need…oh Finn," she moaned as he found the spot on her neck that made her purr in delight. They spent the next few minutes reacquainting themselves with the other, nearly making it to some skin on skin until a ringing phone broke the mood.

'For Good' rang out and Rachel knew it was Kurt calling wondering where she had disappeared to. Quickly she hopped off Finn and readjusted her dress and hair so that she didn't look like she'd been making out with anyone.

"Finn, we need to go. We'll have all night since I told my dads I'd be home late since I was going over to Santana's to do homework after rehearsal."

He tossed his head back in frustration and groaned. "Fine. Let me just grab my stuff so we can leave right from the auditorium."

A few minutes later, Finn and Rachel were walking into the auditorium to find Artie watching Blaine run lines with Kurt filling in as Maria. "If you don't mind, Kurt, I'd like my part back now," Rachel announced a little cattily.

"Well it's nice of you to come back. You were gone so long we thought you'd gotten 'slushied' again," Kurt air quoted. Rachel blushed a little at Kurt's words.

Every so often during different periods of the day, Rachel would disappear for large chunks of time looking slightly mussed up upon her return claiming that she had been slushied yet having no physical signs of actually having had icy cold corn syrup tossed on her. Kurt knew something was up with her that didn't involve the tasty icy treat even though all she ever did was deny, deny, deny. He hadn't pushed it since it he had his own life to deal with but when it started affecting the musical which was one of the few things Rachel lived for, he knew he had to get to the bottom of it.

"That was my fault, Kurt. I was answering a question Rachel had about the latest essay I assigned. Sorry," Finn offered, shifting the blame from Rachel to himself to take away some of her friend's suspicion. Kurt looked dubious but accepted it. It was Mr. Hudson, it must have been true. "So, what scene are you rehearsing today?"

"We're running through Act Two today. Kurt was just filling in during 'Somewhere' until Rachel got back," Artie explained as Kurt walked off stage.

"Great. Not sure what scene that is but, sounds nice."

"It's right after Tony kills Bernardo and goes to Maria," Rachel said as she took her place. "Are we going from 'I Feel Pretty'?" Artie just nodded as everyone got to their places.

Finn suddenly paled as he thought about it. _West Side Story_ was based off of _Romeo and Juliet_. In the play, after Romeo killed Tybalt he went to his _wife_ Juliet and they had sex. They may not be having actual sex in this musical but Tony and Maria had to kiss. Rachel was going to have to kiss Blaine and Finn was going to have to watch. As he thought more about it, rage began to bubble up inside him.

"Are you going to actually kiss today?" he asked a little hysterically, unable to control his emotions at the moment.

"We usually do, just so we're prepared. I've had some bad experiences with waiting until opening night," Rachel stated, not even realizing the effect her answer was having on her boyfriend who wasn't exactly good at keeping hold of his Little Green Monster of jealousy.

Unable to protest as it would raise alarm, Finn tried to rein it in and gritted his teeth. "Oh, okay." Though Finn loved watching Rachel at rehearsal, the days where she had to do any kissing he would always skip. If he had known today would be one of those days…

Finn sat down in the seat at the table next to Artie and crossed his arms over his chest silently seething. "Alright, take it from the top whenever you're ready," Artie called out to the actors on stage.

Of course Finn had a huge grin on his face the entire time he watched Rachel singing 'I Feel Pretty'. She was amazing; you had to be deaf not to appreciate that voice. Then his mood soured as they got to the 'Somewhere' scene. It took everything he had not to flip the table over, run on stage, throw Rachel over his shoulder and run out yelling "Woman mine!" leaving everyone behind shocked at his possessive caveman-like behavior. Just as they finished singing and kissed Finn couldn't stand it anymore and stood up abruptly startling Artie.

Finn didn't know why he was always so jealous. He hadn't ever been before, of course, he'd never been in love before either. Rachel was an actress and would have to kiss other people once in a while and he knew that and accepted it, but something about having to watch it happen bugged him, especially with that Blaine kid. It didn't matter that he was gay, Blaine tended to look a little too cozy with Rachel when they kissed and it drove Finn up a wall. _He_ was the only one who should look that cozy attached to Rachel's lips.

"Mr. Hudson, are you alright?" Artie asked when he noticed how red he was and that his fists were clenched.

Finn took some deep breaths trying to compose himself. "Yeah, just need to go to the bathroom," he mumbled as he stalked off, leaving the auditorium. He wandered around the school for a while until he found himself in the weight room. Finn wasn't at all properly dressed to work out but he had so much pent up frustration that he didn't care. He picked up some free weights and started focusing on them to keep from thinking about Blaine and Rachel kissing.

There were still some jocks left in the room using the machines. Finn wasn't really interested in listening to their conversation which he was sure was only about girls or sports until he heard Noah Puckerman say a name that set him on edge.

"Berry? Yea or nay?"

"Nay, dude, definitely nay," a larger black kid yelled out. "You couldn't pay me to tap that."

"I don't know Azimio, she's got one fine ass."

Dave Karofsky snorted. "You only like her 'cause she's the only Jewish girl in this school. You can tell by that huge schnoz of hers."

"Who cares what her religion is? I'm just talking about hotness factor here. She's got a tight little body and I'd be willing to bet it extends to _every_ part of her body. I wouldn't mind getting' in there to stretch her out." The guys snickered.

"Hey!" Finn yelled out angrily, dropping his free weights on the ground loudly and stalking over to the guys objectifying his lady. "You little cretin, don't you dare talk about Rachel Berry like that. She's a not a toy you can use then throw away. She's a person with feelings and deserves respect. Besides, she wouldn't be interested in chauvinistic, sexist pigs like you three anyway. If I ever hear you talk about her or any other women like that, I will make sure you don't see the outside of the detention room for a very long time." He loomed over Puck. "Got it?"

The guys stepped back a little, caught off guard at Mr. Hudson's outburst at them. "Yes sir; got it."

"Now why don't you get the hell out of my sight before I set you up for detention tomorrow?" he threatened, his eyes glazing over with malice.

Puck, Azimio and Karofsky left the weight room, more afraid that Mr. Hudson would lose it and kick their asses than give them detention. He watched them hastily exit and held his head in his hands. Now he was even more pissed off. Finn just wanted to hold Rachel and know she was his and that no one would ever take her from him. Watching her kiss another guy and hearing those creeps talk about her like that was not helping anything. Sure, maybe he sometimes spoke graphically of Rachel's body and what he'd like to do to her but he was her boyfriend and had permission to do so from her because she enjoyed it. He knew she would be disgusted hearing other people speak that way about her.

Seeing it was nearing six o'clock, Finn figured they'd be close to done with rehearsal now and headed back to the auditorium. When he arrived they were finishing up the final scene. As he watched Rachel crying over Blaine's limp form he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of love. He needed her in his arms and he needed her now.

Finn walked backstage and waited until Artie told everyone one they could leave. As they all filed out of the auditorium through various exits he could see Rachel and Kurt walking down the hall he had been waiting in talking jovially until Rachel noticed Finn standing there.

"Mr. Hudson, where did you wander off to? I noticed you left," Rachel asked worriedly.

"I just needed to use the bathroom," he explained lamely.

Kurt interjected, turning to Rachel. "Blaine and I are going to dinner with Santana and Brittany if you'd like to join us. It's not a date; we're going as friends and inviting other people as well. It's been forever since we've hung out, you should come."

Rachel quickly glanced at Finn who was looking rather antsy as he helped some kids carry a few small set pieces into the prop room. "I'm sorry, Kurt, I already have plans."

Kurt shook his head haughtily. "Rachel! Who could you have plans with? You have four friends and we're all going to dinner!"

"I have more than four friends!"

"Really? Who are they?" Kurt put his hands on his hips and tapped his foot impatiently. "Is it the person you're constantly sneaking off with for 20 minutes at a time during class every day? Deny it all you want Rachel, but I know there is something going on. There's no way you are getting slushied that often."

Rachel just rolled her eyes. "There is nothing going on Kurt! You're being paranoid."

"Fine, whatever; don't come to dinner. Go have fun on your mystery date or whatever you're doing. I need to go." Kurt gave her a quick hug goodbye and left her alone in the hallway.

Rachel walked to the prop room to see if Finn was still in there and was brusquely tugged into the small room. The door slammed shut and she was pressed against it, lips attacking hers hungrily.

"God, I need you so much. That was like torture."

"It was two hours, Finn."

"Not that. I thought Blaine would never get his lips off you." Finn ran his hands up Rachel's thighs and pulled her underwear off.

Rachel let out a little giggle. "Jealous?"

"Yes."

"You realize he's 17 and gay, right?" Rachel undid Finn's pants and shoved them down his body as he laved his tongue over her pulse point.

"Don't care. I don't like him kissing you. I want to be the only one who kisses you." He picked Rachel up and wrapped her legs around his body while she folded her arms around his neck.

"I love when you get all jealous and possessive. It's so cute." She giggled a little before Finn cut her off with a kiss and a quick thrust into her. He held her ass tightly as he slammed into her rapidly, forcing moans from her mouth into his.

"Oh, God, Rachel, I love you," Finn croaked out as he pulled the material of Rachel's dress down to expose her breasts. He ravished her chest as he continued his thrusting and she bucked her hips against his.

"I've missed you, so much," she whined out breathily before releasing a loud moan as he hit just the right spot.

On the other side of the door down the hallway, a flustered Kurt was walking back to the table in the hall he had left his jacket on, chastising himself for forgetting it. He stopped short by the prop room however when he heard a loud and deep moan. Apprehensively, he stepped closer to the door, tilting his head to hear better.

"O-uh, Rachel," a masculine voice moaned through the wood. Kurt paled and stood up straight. He turned around a few times not sure what to do. Whose voice was that? Why did it sound all husky and strained? Was Rachel really in there? Was it _his_ Rachel, Rachel _Berry_?

"Fuck, Rachel, I love you," the voice said again, louder. Well that answered one question. There was definitely something sexual happening behind that door, there was no doubt about it.

"Oh my…don't stop, don't…" a feathery light feminine voice called out answering a second question. That was most definitely Rachel Berry behind that door, Rachel Berry having sex with a deep voiced mystery man. "Right there…yes, yes, yeeeeeesss…"

After that extremely disturbing 'yes', Kurt couldn't stick around any longer to try to figure out who the mystery man was. It was gross enough to think that his best friend was having sex in the prop room; he didn't need to be there when they walked out making the moment even more awkward than it already was. Still, as he walked briskly away from the panting sounds of whoever was fornicating with his best friend, Kurt knew he _had_ to get to the bottom of this now. Rachel was lying to everyone about a relationship she was involved in and he needed to know why.

Back inside the room, Finn was coming out of his skin as he peaked inside Rachel's mouth as she had insisted he let her finish him off orally. He held her head as she swallowed everything, leaving cleanup very easy for the both of them. When she was sure he was done, Rachel stood back up and fixed her dress while Finn stood there against the door catching his breath.

"You're fucking amazing, ya know that?"

Rachel smiled sweetly and shrugged her shoulders before putting her panties back on. "I know." She kissed his cheek and motioned for him to move out of the way. "I'm going to head over to your apartment now. If you give me your key I can make sure to be waiting for you." She waggled her eyebrows at him.

Finn dug around in his pocket at his feet for his keys and detached his house one. "I'll be there as soon as I can. I just need a recovery minute."

She pecked him on the cheek again then exited the room to grab her things and head out. When she made it to the parking lot Rachel noticed that a familiar car was still waiting there.

"Are you sure it was Rachel? That doesn't seem like something she would do," Blaine said to his freaked out boyfriend in the driver's seat.

"I'd recognize those pipes anywhere. It was Rachel and she was definitely doing the nasty in the prop room. Doesn't she realize other people go in there?"

A knock on the window startled Kurt.

"Hey guys, what are you still doing here?" Rachel asked innocently like she hadn't just been fucked at school as Kurt rolled the window down.

Kurt smiled uneasily at her. "We were just waiting for you to come out to see if you changed your mind about dinner," he lied.

"No, I still have plans Kurt. How about we do a sleepover this weekend at my place to make it up to you? You two and Santana and Brittany can come over, but you cannot have sex while in my house. That's my only rule."

"Yes, we know, Rachel. You tell us that every time we come over," Blaine put in. "That sounds like fun. We'll definitely be there." He rubbed Kurt's shoulder. "Come on, Kurt, we need to get to Breadstix. Bye Rachel, see you tomorrow."

"Bye guys! See you later." Rachel waved goodbye as she walked over to her car and watched Kurt leave the parking lot. She could tell something was off with Kurt but she wasn't sure what. Why would he have stuck around just to ask her to dinner again? He could have texted her for that.

Shrugging and pushing it from her mind, Rachel replaced the thoughts with ones of her upcoming few hours with Finn. They had a lot to discuss now that he was serious about moving to New York with her and they had five days worth of time apart to make up for.


	6. Getting Serious

I apologize so much for the slow updating. Unfortunately it's probably going to get even slower as I have three research papers to write by the end of the semester but after December 15th I am free from school and will be a writing machine! So just bear with me. We can do it!

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><p>"Kurt, would you please stop pestering me?" Rachel nearly screeched at her bothersome best friend.<p>

"I know something is going on with you." He dropped his voice lower as he leaned in to talk to her at her locker. "I heard you having sex in the prop room after rehearsal yesterday."

Rachel's eyes widened slightly and her heart beat faster. She had been caught, but she had to deny. No one could know. Rachel scoffed, playing it off. "Please Kurt; I would never do something like that. Do you know how much trouble I could get in? Why would I risk it? And besides, who would I even have sex with?" Rachel held her books tightly to her chest and shut her locker.

"I don't know! But I know it's someone. I distinctly heard a man's voice say 'Rachel' and it was definitely you moaning back."

Rachel smirked at him incredulously. Every ounce of her actor's training needed to come into play now. "Perhaps you should get your hearing checked. I went to the bathroom then to my locker after rehearsal yesterday then I came out of the building alone. Don't you think if I'd be seeing someone I'd flaunt it in your face like I did with Jesse?"

Kurt mulled it over quietly. That was the Rachel Berry way after all. The girl did not do subtle and whenever she was happy she never stopped squawking about it. She'd thrown it in their faces for weeks that she was dating Jesse after they had poked fun at her probably graduating high school never having a boyfriend. Surely if she were seeing someone the entire school would know by now considering how fast information flew through McKinley. But Kurt couldn't deny what he'd heard. Things still seemed off. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at his innocent feigning friend.

"Something is going on with you and I will find out what. Mark my words, diva." He gave Rachel a hug then stalked off to first period. Rachel waited until he was out of sight to duck into the girls' bathroom and pull out her phone.

_We are never having sex on school grounds again. Kurt heard us. He doesn't know who I was with, __thank God, but that doesn't mean he won't figure it out. We need to be more careful._ She sent the text off and waited only a minute before getting a reply.

_**You're sure he doesn't know?**_

_Positive. He said so himself._

_**Can you come over later?**_

_Can't. My dads need to talk to me about something at dinner. I'm free tomorrow though._

_**K. I love you.**_

_I love you too. :*_

Rachel spent the rest of her day under the suspicious and watchful eye of Kurt and was even the lunch table's topic of discussion. Santana and Blaine agreed that if Rachel were seeing anyone all of Lima would know about it and told Kurt he was being paranoid. There were other Rachel's at McKinley and it wouldn't be the first time someone had made out in the prop room. Hell, Santana and Brittany had snuck in there during study hall the week prior.

By the time they made it to English Rachel was about ready to strangle Kurt. He just wouldn't drop it.

"Kurt! I did not have sex in the prop room with anyone!" Rachel cried out for what seemed the hundredth time that day, earning some snickers from students already in Mr. Hudson's classroom. Rachel looked over at her English teacher and secret lover who looked back worried. She just shook her head in frustration as Kurt began to turn red.

"You didn't need to shout it," he hissed at her as they took their seats.

"Apparently I did as it seems to be the only thing that will shut you up! Now please drop it!" Rachel turned away from Kurt in a huff and pulled out her notebook. They had finished _Alice in_ _Wonderland_ and had moved on to _1984_. According to Finn, they were going to be put into groups and had to create their own dystopic societies where they had to create characters and governments of their own and compare how it related back to the book. Rachel had already nearly completed the assignment in her head and was looking forward to actually getting to work in groups. The only problem was they would be assigned and though Rachel had literally gotten on her knees for Finn, using one of her many talents to persuade him to put her with Kurt and Mercedes he hadn't actually given her a guarantee he would.

"Okay class," Finn called out once everyone was seated and the bell had rung. "First, I need your essays so hand 'em up." Finn motioned for them to hand in their latest essays then went about explaining their new task. "Okay, so for the next two days and due on Monday, you'll be put into groups of three or four and you'll be creating your own dystopic societies. Feel free to use any inspiration you want, the society just need to be miserable and sad." He handed them the worksheet with the full directions for the assignment. "To make it fair, I'll count you off in fours and whatever number you get is what you get, no whining, no trading. If you aren't happy with it," he looked pointedly at Rachel as he spoke knowing she would probably not be pleased with whoever she got, "tough. Channel your frustration into the project."

Rachel pouted a little but accepted her fate. 'I hate you' she mouthed to Finn who smirked as he looked down at the extra copies of the assignment in his hands. Starting with Brett the homeless smelling kid to Rachel's left, Finn counted off the class. She ended up in the threes and was quite displeased at her group assignment. Not only did she not get assigned with Kurt or Mercedes, she had been placed with the Ice Queen herself Quinn Fabray and that wack job Suzy Pepper. This was going to end terribly.

The three girls stared at each other with disdain and almost immediately as they sat down in their corner of the classroom all three raised their hands and called for Mr. Hudson. Finn walked over to them not even realizing the shit-storm he was about to walk into. At once all three of them started talking at him angrily, fists and hair flying everywhere and pissy glares all around. His eyes widened in terror and he took a step back.

Remembering he was in charge, Finn took back control. "Ladies, ladies, I don't want to hear it! You heard what I said at the start of class. You're not switching and I won't respond to whining. Now get to work." Before Finn could turn away Suzy put her hand up.

"Mr. Hudson, can we work alone?" All three girls stared Finn down hoping he would at least give them that satisfaction.

"No, you need to work in groups. Sometimes you're going to be forced to work with people you don't want to in life, this is one of those times." Finn looked at them sternly then walked away.

Very reluctantly the girls set to work on their project. Much to Rachel's surprise they liked her idea of using Disney princesses as the characters in their society and set about describing their dystopic personalities.

"Obviously Sleeping Beauty has to be addicted to sleeping pills and Belle has Stockholm syndrome. Ariel is a hoarder-"

"And Jasmine is a prostitute. She's the most scantily clad of them all," Quinn stated, cutting Rachel off from her analysis.

"Why can't Ariel be the prostitute? She only wears seashells for a bra," Suzy added.

"Because she's a hoarder. I suppose she could be considered a klepto as well since she takes things that don't belong to her that are pretty worthless."

"And Cinderella could have OCD. She likes to clean a lot," Quinn added.

Rachel hated to admit it but Quinn's ideas were pretty good. "That's a good idea, Quinn."

"My goodness, did I just hear this group getting along?" Finn said as he walked over to their group, wearing an expression of mock surprise. All three girls smiled brightly at their teacher.

Rachel brushed her hair behind her ear and addressed Finn for the group. "We're just doing what you said and channeling."

"Well, good. What have you got so far?" Finn sat on the top of the nearest empty desk.

"Rachel thought of the idea for a Disney princess dystopia," Suzy said quietly.

Quinn showed Finn the sheet they had been writing ideas down on. "It's actually a pretty interesting concept."

Finn nodded approvingly and looked between the girls. "Well, keep it up. I'll be around if you need me." He hopped off the desk and smiled at them before walking to the next group. As he left, all three girls stared longingly after him until Rachel regrouped and turned back to the project.

"My God that man has a fine behind," Suzy muttered under her breath to Rachel's horror.

"Suzy! That's so inappropriate! He's our teacher!" Rachel knew that was a little hypocritical but she didn't want other people checking out her man's ass. That ass had a 'Property of Rachel Berry' stamp across it.

Quinn scoffed. "Please, it's not like we'd ever act on it. That would be creepy."

Rachel looked jeeringly disbelieving. "Right, so you don't consider inviting Mr. Hudson to your Valentine's Day dinner thing 'acting on it'?"

"That was for charity! All proceeds were going to help needy children. I just thought he'd want to help."

Suzy and Rachel looked at each other clearly not buying what Quinn was trying to sell. "Well I think both of you should get your minds off Mr. Hudson and back onto the project. It's due Monday and he is our teacher and has a girlfriend."

"Yeah, one no one has ever seen him with. You would think they'd go out in public together sometime." Quinn gasped. "You don't think his girlfriend could actually be a boyfriend or something, do you? That could explain it."

Rachel snorted and before thinking said, "He's not gay. I know that for a fact." Her body froze when she realized what she had just revealed.

"And how exactly would you know that?" Quinn narrowed her eyes at Rachel.

She swallowed and quickly covered. "I saw him out with his girlfriend once. They kissed and he looked quite happy. She lives in another town. That's why you don't see them out together often," Rachel improvised rather convincingly. "Are we seriously discussing Mr. Hudson's love life? Can we just get back to work? I'd like to get a good grade on this project." Fortunately, Quinn and Suzy dropped it and got back to work, neither wanting to get bad grades either.

The rest of the day continued on without further potential disasters and when Rachel arrived home found a surprise waiting for her in the form of take-out and her fathers telling her they would be heading to Cleveland the next day for the weekend for business and would be leaving the house to her.

On the outside Rachel kept her composure and played aloof but inside she squealed like a giddy school girl. She could spend the entire weekend at Finn's now and not have to worry about her dads realizing she wasn't actually at Santana's for a sleepover.

Crap! Her sleepover! She had promised Kurt and Blaine they could have a sleepover that weekend. They hadn't discussed any solid plans but she knew merely at the mention of sleepover, Kurt, Blaine, Santana and Brittany would show up ready for karaoke and makeovers tomorrow night. Well, she could always kick them out Saturday morning and spend Saturday into Sunday with Finn.

Up in her room after dinner, Rachel walked over to her desk to grab her cell phone and just as she was about to call Finn to tell him the good news, it started ringing, 'Cowboy' showing up on the screen.

"Speak of the Devil. Hey baby, guess what," Rachel announced chipperly into the phone. "My dads are going out of town this weekend so I can stay with you! Well, not tomorrow. I'll be hosting a sleepover but I'll be sure to send them on their way early so we can have as much time together as possible. Isn't that great?"

"Yeah, sounds awesome but..." Oh no, there was a but. She began pacing nervously wondering what could be wrong. "I have to go to Toledo this weekend. It's my mom's birthday. That's why I was calling. I forgot about it until she called me so you can't come over tomorrow. But you have plans anyway."

Rachel's enthusiasm dissipated and was replaced by disappointment. She had already started picturing their whole weekend together. "When will you be back?"

"Sunday night. When will your dads be back?"

"Sunday night." Rachel paused her pacing. "Well this is disheartening…not your mother celebrating another birthday. It's just, I miss you and want to spend more time with you. Yesterday was not enough for me." Rachel tossed herself back onto her bed and began playing with one of her teddy bears.

"Same here. Too bad you can't come with me. I know my mom would love to meet you, not that I told her about you yet just because of obvious reasons, but if I had, I know she'd like you and want to meet you."

"You want me to meet your mom? Well that's a sure sign you're serious about me," Rachel joked.

Finn chuckled. "Do you doubt me?"

"Nope, never." Rachel silently thought about what meeting Finn's mother would be like. Though they dated for nearly a year Rachel had never actually met either of Jesse's parents. They were busybodies who were never home and basically let their children do whatever they wanted and Jesse had never even mentioned introducing her to them. Meeting the woman who raised Finn to be such an amazing man would be a huge step in their relationship and he always made her sound like a great mother.

"You know, I could always reschedule with my friends and go with you," she suggested quietly. "If that were something you'd be okay with." It went silent for a few beats until Rachel could hear Finn's throat clear.

"Y-you would come with me?"

Rachel nodded then remembered she was on the phone and he couldn't see her. "I can hang out with my friends any time and my dads won't be around and as long as we're back before them, they'll never know I was gone."

"What would we tell everyone? Obviously not the truth…"

"We wouldn't have to bend the truth too much. I can tell people I'm a freshman in college. It's only about three months from that being true as I'm counting myself as in college as soon as I am graduated. And we can say that we met at school. No one needs to know which one."

"I don't know, Rach. Wouldn't it be weird to tell my mom that you're a student here and then in the fall we both move to New York because of college?"

"What would you have told her if she and I met after graduation?"

"I dunno. I hadn't thought that far ahead yet."

Rachel sighed. "I don't need to go if you're really worried about it. I don't want to get you in hot water with your mother or anyone else for dating me. It was just a thou-"

"I want you to come," Finn blurted out before Rachel could even finish her sentence. He really did want his mom and Rachel to meet and then in the evenings he and Rachel could spend some quality time together. "We can figure out the details on the way and I really do think you and my mom would get along. She's always wanted to meet my other girlfriends but they were never interested."

Feeling rather proud at making Finn happy that she actually wanted to meet his mother, Rachel smiled broadly. "Then I'll go. I'll talk to my friends tomorrow and reschedule. What time are we leaving?"

"Probably around four. My mom wants me there by dinner time." Finn chuckled into the phone. "Does that work for you?"

"Yep. I will make sure to be at your place by then."

The pair chatted for a while, coming up with a cover story for how exactly they met in case anyone asked which Finn knew everyone would, until Rachel had to go to work on homework. If she was going to be spending the weekend away she wanted to have as little school obligations to worry about as possible.

When lunch came around the next day Kurt brought up the topic of the sleepover Rachel had promised her friends. "So what time should we be over tonight?"

Rachel cleared her throat and a little guiltily looked at her friends. "Actually, I'm so sorry guys but I can't do the sleepover this weekend."

"What do you mean? You promised us a sleepover! I already got my manicure and facial sets packed," Kurt whined at her.

She just shrugged. "I'm sorry, but my dads and I are going out of town this weekend. They just told me about the trip to Cleveland last night. We're leaving right after school." It was all true. She and her dads _were_ going out of town that weekend; didn't mean they were leaving together or going to the same destination though.

Santana narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Why exactly are your dads going to Cleveland and taking you?"

"It's a business trip but they're turning it into a mini-vacation."

"In Cleveland?" Kurt asked incredulously. "Not exactly the greatest vacation destination."

To keep the lying to a minimum Rachel just stared at her food as she spoke. "It'll just be nice to get away for the weekend. With school and glee and the musical my stress level has been slowly rising. A little change of scenery will be a nice reprieve before the craziness of next week."

"You know what else would have been a nice reprieve? Facials and manicures with your friends at a sleepover," Kurt added in a snippy tone.

Rachel simply rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry plans changed at the last minute, Kurt. I swear we can have a sleepover once the musical is over."

"Or will you bail on that one again too?" He stared her down. "You know, for the past few weeks you've seemed to be cancelling plans on us a lot more. Don't think we haven't all noticed it. It's like you're trying to avoid us. Or maybe I'm just not as paranoid as everyone seems to think and you really are seeing someone and that's why. Are you ditching us to spend time with your mystery beau?"

Rachel acted innocent. "Kurt, you really should go see a shrink for all your crazy. There's no 'mystery beau'. I'm just getting away from Lima for the weekend."

"You so owe us. I was looking forward to getting my karaoke on."

Much to Rachel's gratification the topic of discussion changed to that of the musical and opening night and the following after party. Rachel promised that she would be in attendance with bells on and they made further plans for another sleepover the weekend after the show.

Rachel couldn't really blame her friends for their frustration. If the tables were turned she would certainly be annoyed at all the last minute cancellations and secrecy but when she thought of her reason behind it all she couldn't bring herself to regret it. Finn meant so much to her and she loved spending time with him. Surely if she could tell her friends about her relationship they would understand. They had been the same way in the beginnings of their relationships. Once the musical was over though, everything would change.

The rest of the day seemed to move at a snail's pace. Rachel just wanted to get the heck out of school so she could go to Finn's and maybe they could sneak in a round before having to head out. Her dads had left that morning so they wouldn't be a factor and the sooner she could get out of Lima, the less chance of anyone realizing she wasn't actually traveling with her fathers.

English had been pure agony as Finn couldn't keep his eyes off her and she just wanted to rip his clothes off and have her way with him. They were still doing their dystopia project and Finn had been wandering between the groups all period but every few minutes he'd end up back at their group. It was quite distracting having him standing there watching her, knowing he was undressing her with his eyes because she had been doing the same to him. Even when he was 'listening' to the other groups ideas she could sometimes look over and see him looking at her with a smile on the corner of his mouth.

Yeah, she just wanted to get out of school already.

As soon as glee had ended Rachel went straight home to grab her stuff then over to Finn's. She sat in her car for a few minutes since she knew he wasn't home until she received a text from him. Happily, Rachel left her car and walked to Finn's not even noticing the familiar SUV that had just turned around the corner.

Kurt, Blaine, Santana and Brittany all sat in Kurt's car singing along to some Adele as they drove in the direction of Brittany's to drop her and Santana off until Brittany noticed Rachel walking along carrying a large pink overnight bag.

"Hey guys! It's Rachel!" They all whipped their heads around in the direction Brittany pointed and Kurt could feel the thrill of being proved right building inside him. "I thought she was going to Cleveland?"

"That _was_ her story. Why would she be on this side of town if she and her fathers were leaving right after school?" Kurt asked knowingly, throwing Blaine an 'I-told-you-so' glance. "Let's follow her."

Blaine sighed. "Kurt, come on. Leave the poor girl alone. It's her business-"

"She turned left, Kurt," Santana announced. Kurt turned as well, creeping along slowly behind Rachel.

Blaine just shook his head at his boyfriend. "She's going to realize you're following her. You're not exactly being subtle driving at two miles per hour."

Kurt ignored him and continued to watch Rachel closely. He pulled over when Rachel began walking down a sidewalk that led to what appeared to be an apartment building.

"Why is Rachel going in there?" Santana asked, leaning forward to look at Kurt better. "Does she even know anyone on this side of town besides Brittany?"

"Obviously she must if she's going into those apartments. Do we know anyone who lives there?"

Everyone shook their heads no and Blaine looked around at his friends. "Can we please go? Maybe her dads know someone who lives there. It's none of our business what she's doing here and you're going to get stress acne if you worry about it anymore, Kurt," Blaine said in an attempt to get Kurt to drop it.

Kurt gasped loudly. "Don't you dare say that! Take it back."

"Drive away." The two stared at each other until Kurt put the car in gear and drove off down the street leaving Rachel to herself at whoever's apartment building she was visiting.

Inside the building Rachel knocked on Finn's door. He greeted her with a big smile and an even bigger kiss and before either could get in a word, Rachel was unbuttoning his shirt and Finn was tugging Rachel's skirt off her body.

"I've been thinking about you all day," Rachel said seductively. "It was so hard to focus on mentally ill Disney princesses with you hovering around and staring at me."

Finn pulled Rachel's shirt over her head as he led them into his bedroom. "I wasn't staring at you." Rachel stopped kissing his neck and just stared at him. He acquiesced. "Much. What can I say? I've been horny the past two days and haven't been able to do anything about it. Seeing you in English is like one giant tease."

Rachel giggled at him as she unhooked her bra and let it fall to the floor. "Well you're more than welcome to do something about it now." She shoved her panties down her legs and hopped back onto his bed to spread out. Her eyes smoldered and she bit her lip while she played with her hair, waiting for Finn to get with the program and finish getting undressed. All he did was stand there and stare at her however. "You know, sex usually works better when you move."

Realizing he was only staring finally, Finn dropped his pants and boxers and mounted Rachel. He kissed her passionately and easily slid inside her, earning a moan of appreciation. He kissed the spot just below her ear and she pulled him closer to her body, digging her nails into his back. She moaned again and Finn ran his hand up her side and around to cup her breast while she pressed her heels into his behind to get him to go deeper. Finn's hand found Rachel's and he intertwined their fingers, pressing their palms together as he made love to her.

That was one aspect of his and Rachel's relationship he absolutely loved. They didn't need a special occasion to make love, it happened at random yet perfect moments, it wasn't always expected but it was always welcome. They could go into sex thinking it would be raw and quick and dirty then totally take a turn for the slow and intimate and be more meaningful than anything they ever expected without them even realizing it.

He sucked on her neck as he pumped in and out of her, her breathy moans in his ear. Her free hand rested at the nape of his neck where she played with his hair. Quite suddenly, Finn pulled them up into a sitting position. He lifted Rachel off him causing her to pout a little until he got comfortable then guided her back down onto him.

Rachel took her time letting the orgasm build, moving torturously slow while Finn practically begged for more. His hands roamed her body, wanting to feel every bit of her smooth skin. His mouth found purchase on her pulse point where he sucked until a dark bruise was beginning to form. He smiled at his handiwork then went back to kissing Rachel's pink and swollen lips. Her tongue met his and he moaned as she massaged it.

"Finn, I wanna…" Rachel whined out. He knew she was ready to let go and he was more than ready to help. He slid his hand down her abdomen until he got to her pelvis. She rolled her hips against his hand, taking more of his length into her, her walls clenching tightly around it. Finn groaned as his thumb found her swollen bundle of nerves and with only a few gentle swipes she fell apart against him.

Her body seized and as her walls quickly spasmed around him, Finn couldn't hold on any longer and came inside her. When the pleasure finished rolling through her body, Rachel's head fell forward to rest on Finn's shoulder. He breathed erratically as he came down himself and gently laid Rachel back down, taking his place next to her.

A few minutes later the couple lay on Finn's bed tangled in each other, basking in the feeling of being utterly and irrevocably in love with one another. Rachel, a tiny smile playing on her own lips, stared lovingly at Finn as he lay there with his eyes closed, happiness and peace all over his face.

"Finn," Rachel spoke softly.

"Hmm?"

She leaned up and placed her lips on Finn's in a small tender kiss. "I love you."

Finn ran his fingers through her hair and pulled her face closer so their foreheads were touching. "I love you too," he said quietly against her lips before kissing her again.

Rachel smiled as she pulled away. She never wanted the moment to end but when she noticed the time on the clock she knew they would have to leave soon if they wanted to get to Toledo by dinner time.

"Finn, we should get going."

He opened his eyes and looked at the clock himself. "We got at least ten minutes before we _really_ need to go." Rachel rolled her eyes at Finn's eyebrow waggle.

"We can't keep your mother waiting. That's rude, Finn." A little begrudgingly, Rachel tore herself out of Finn's embrace and got off the bed. Finn watched, thinking very dirty thoughts the entire time, as she walked around nude picking up her discarded items of clothing before exiting his room to go to the bathroom.

Finn flung himself back on his bed and rubbed his face. Clearly he was going to need to get a room in Toledo because there was no way he and Rachel could stay at his mother's house together with his raging and never satisfied libido.


	7. Meeting Mom

"So what should I know about your family, Finn? Who are your relatives? I want to make a good first impression," Rachel asked as they made their way out of Lima. They had driven to the interstate quickly to keep the potential for anyone seeing Rachel in Finn's truck down and once they were on the road both felt much better.

Finn looked over at Rachel. "Um, well, my mom is Carole, but you knew that already. She has a brother and a sister, Peter and Marcia, and my cousins Jacob and Jack are Peter's kids and Tammy, Tara and Trisha are Marcia's daughters. Tammy is married to Neil and their kids are Ashleigh and Walter. They're nine and thirteen. Tara is my age and works for the newspaper in Toledo and Trisha is twenty. She's studying to be a history teacher. As for Jacob he owns a restaurant and is married to the most annoying woman ever. Jack works at Jacob's restaurant as the manager and has been dating the same girl since the fifth grade yet they aren't married."

Rachel nodded in understanding. "What about your dad's side? Do they live in Toledo?"

Finn shook his head. "No. My dad's side of the family is spread out all over the country. He was the only one who stayed in Ohio after my grandparents died."

"What about your mom's parents? Will I be meeting them?"

"Yeah, definitely. I wouldn't be surprised if my Pop-Pop follows you around actually. He's where I get my thing for nice asses." They both chuckled.

Rachel leaned her head back against the headrest. "I'm so glad you let me come with you, Finn. It's nice to be able to actually go out with you. I can't wait to do it all the time once school is over." She leaned over and kissed Finn's cheek before placing their intertwined hands in her lap, smoothing her thumb over the back of his hand.

He smiled at her. "I'm glad we're doing this too. It means a lot to me." They fell into a peaceful silence for a while until a sign for a Marriott reminded Finn of his plan. "Oh, so, I was thinking…we could get a hotel in Toledo. I mean, I know my mom wouldn't have a problem with us sharing a room or anything but I would feel awkward doing the things I really want to do to you later under my mom's roof."

Rachel blushed at the meaning of Finn's words. "Yes, it would be rather awkward if she knew how her son sounded when he got a great lay." She giggled as Finn's cheeks pinked. "So, will I get to meet your best friend Sam too? You said he still lives in Toledo."

Finn shrugged. "Um, he might show up to the party. He's always loved my mom; everyone always loved my mom, so maybe."

The rest of the drive consisted of conversation about who would probably be at his mom's party, weird family quirks and the part of this trip that made Finn a little nervous – the details on how he and Rachel met. Finn hoped his family wouldn't care enough to dig deeper than the rather vague story they had come up with and would just accept that he and Rachel were happy together and that's all that mattered.

They pulled into his mother's driveway around 5:30 and now Finn was sweating a little he was so nervous. It wasn't just that he had to bend the truth a little; he hadn't introduced a woman to his mother since he was 17 and he really wanted her and Rachel to get along. Life would be sweet if his mother actually liked the woman he was dating.

Finn knocked on the door before remembering a major detail he left out about their travel plans. "Crap," he muttered under his breath.

"What?" Rachel asked back quietly. Finn looked worried as he turned to her.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I kinda forgot to tell my mom you were coming with me."

Rachel pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest. "Really, Finn?" Before she could lay into him about how this would affect their first meeting and how irresponsible it was to just bring someone over unannounced, the door opened and revealed a giddy middle-aged woman.

"Finny!" she cried out as she pulled her son into a big hug. "Oh it's so good to see you!"

"Hi Mom. It's good to see you too." He pulled out of the hug and awkwardly took a step back, pulling Rachel forward and placing his arm around her shoulders. "I'm so sorry for not telling you I'd be bringing her but, um, Mom, this is my girlfriend, Rachel." Finn smiled a little sheepishly as his mother looked back and forth between her son and the woman he was apparently dating.

Her mouth fell open a little in shock. "Wow, Finn, I didn't even realize you had a girlfriend." Carole turned to Rachel. "It's nice to meet you, Rachel. I'm Carole."

Rachel stuck her hand out. "It's so nice to meet you, Carole. Finn has told me so much about you."

Carole took Rachel's hand and shook. "Finn hasn't told me anything about you. So let's change that. Come on in." She waved the couple into the house and Rachel discreetly glared at Finn as they took their coats off to hang up on the rack. This meeting had barely begun and it was already one of the most painfully awkward ones of her life. "I hope you don't mind spaghetti and meatballs, Rachel. If I had known you were coming," she looked to her son who looked away a little guiltily, "I would have planned for it."

"Well, I'm a vegan but I love pasta. Spaghetti sounds great. Thank you so much."

Carole smiled at her. "Great. Well, dinner is ready. That's one thing about Finn, when he knows food will be waiting for him, he always seems to manage arriving right on time." The women laughed at Finn's expression.

"Yes, I have noticed that Finn has quite the appetite." She playfully poked his stomach as they walked over to the dining room. "He particularly loves when I make banana bread. I watched him eat over half a loaf of it in one sitting once."

"I can't help it that you bake such good stuff for me." Finn pulled a chair out for Rachel and Carole and insisted on grabbing the food from the kitchen for them.

"Rachel, is there a last name with that?" Carole asked, genuinely interested in getting to know the mystery woman her son had brought home.

"Berry. My name's Rachel Berry," she said with a smile.

"And how did you and Finn meet?"

Rachel and Finn shared a glance as he walked back into the dining room carrying a large bowl of spaghetti and a pot of sauce. "We met at school."

"Oh, down in Cincinnati?"

"Uh, no, Lima. We met at the high school Finn teaches at." Carole looked confused and to keep her from asking too many more questions Rachel quickly elaborated. "I was visiting an old teacher of mine there and met Finn. I actually go to school in New York City." _Or at least I will_ Rachel added mentally. She felt bad lying to Finn's mother but even if she were graduated the circumstances of their meeting would still not be something a mother would want to learn about their son.

Carole's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, New York. So you and Finn are normally long distance?" She looked to Finn who had yet to say anything.

He just smiled tightly. "Um, yeah. The situation isn't perfect right now," boy was it not perfect, "but um, we're making it work."

Carole took his hand. "As long as you're happy."

"I am," he replied quietly, making Rachel blush and smile a little.

Sensing the topic didn't seem to be one Finn wanted to discuss, Carole moved on. Finn would talk about it when he was ready and she didn't want to push him. "Rachel, where and what exactly do you study in New York?"

"I'm a theatre major at the Tisch School at NYU. It's my dream to perform on Broadway someday and I'm all about doing whatever I need to in order to achieve that dream. I'm always auditioning but I feel actually going to school for theatre will give me an advantage."

"Are you graduating soon?"

"Uhm, I'm actually only a freshman. So I still have a while to go yet."

"A freshman?" she asked, concern lacing her tone as she glanced at her son. "That would make you about nineteen?"

"Eighteen actually."

Carole stared down her son who was suddenly very interested in the green beans on his plate. "Eighteen, you're dating an 18 year old, Finn."

"I know the age difference is a bit off-putting but you need to know, I care about your son very deeply and I know he feels the same."

"She's very mature for her age," Finn finally added to the conversation. "Rachel's very smart and has a good head on her shoulders. She's a great girlfriend."

Carole still looked a little skeptical. "Well, like I said, as long as you're happy." She tried her best to smile at the couple authentically but they could tell she was still having a hard time wrapping her mind around Finn dating someone so young.

Dinner progressed only mildly awkwardly and as Carole got to know more about Rachel she seemed to open up to the idea of her son dating the girl. By the time they got to chatting in the living room over tea after dinner, it was like they were old friends; old friends who really loved to talk about Finn.

"You should have seen it! I walked into his bedroom and he was on his knees praying to a grilled cheese sandwich. For over a week he thought it was a direct line to God," Carole said through her laughter while Finn turned red in embarrassment.

"It worked every time I prayed to it," he defended.

"Well I think it's adorable, even if it's absolutely absurd," Rachel proclaimed before leaning over to peck Finn's cheek. "What other embarrassing stories can you tell me?" She turned back to Carole with wide, excited eyes looking for anymore juicy intel she could get on her boyfriend.

"Once Finn got a week's worth of detention for walking down the hall in only his underwear. Still not entirely sure why he pulled that stunt."

"Oh I would have _loved_ to have seen that."

Carole laughed while Finn shook his head in disbelief. His mother was going to reveal all of his most embarrassing moments. "Give me a minute, I'll be right back." Carole excused herself and left Finn and Rachel alone in the living room.

Finn took Rachel's face by her chin and pulled her close to give her a scorching kiss. "What was that for?" Rachel asked a little breathily when the kiss broke.

"I love you…and my mom loves you." He grinned at her.

Rachel nodded slightly. "I was a little worried at first but she's really warmed up to me."

"Yeah, she's having a blast telling you all about my awkward teenage years."

"I think it's cute."

"I think you're cute," Finn replied before giving her another kiss.

Carole walked back into the room carrying a large box under one arm and a laptop under the other. "You're in for a real treat." She put the box on the floor and sat back down, opening the laptop.

Rachel glanced into the box and saw it was about a dozen photo albums of varying size and thickness. She pulled one out and flipped to the first page. "Oh my gosh!" she cried out when she saw pictures of a little baby Finn. "Look at those cheeks! So chubby! And blonde? You were blonde?" Rachel couldn't believe Finn had been blonde.

"Apparently. I don't remember."

"Finn was blonde until he was about four years old. Then it was all dark from there on." She turned the computer toward Rachel. "I think you'll get a real kick out of this." She hit play on a youtube video and Beyoncé's 'Single Ladies' started playing.

"Mom, no!" Finn yelled trying to stop his mother from ruining his life. He tried to close the computer but she moved out of the way.

"Finny, come on. She'd see it eventually anyway."

"See what?" Rachel took the computer from Carole and watched as a football team danced to the song.

"Check out number five. He's got some great moves, huh?" Carole joked while Finn died of humiliation.

Rachel's mouth fell open when she realized who number five was. "No way! Why?" she asked Carole, but looking over at Finn who held his head in his hands.

"It was an effort to distract the other team and it worked wonders. They won their first and only game of the season with it."

Rachel laughed and handed the computer back to Carole. "Finn, I had no idea you could move like that." She giggled at his expense.

"I thought you loved me, Mom. Why are you doing this to your only son?" he half-joked.

"Oh please. It's cute, Finn." She pulled out another album from the box handing it to Rachel. "If you look in this album you'll see all of Finn's Halloween costumes. You have to see the year he went as the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters."

The two women combed through every album looking at pictures of Finn from infancy all the way through his college graduation. Rachel saw pictures of him in the tub and running around in diapers, every Halloween costume, playing football and basketball, drumming on his first drum kit, that vacation to Myrtle Beach when a huge wave knocked him over and forced him to perform a very painful split, that time he got his head stuck in a fence. Her favorites seemed to be the ones where he was really awkward, like when that llama at the petting zoo started munching on his hair.

"And here's when he was Super Underwear. Finn ran around all day wearing his fire truck underwear on his head and a cape." Rachel doubled over laughing at Finn smiling at the camera through the leg hole of the underwear on his head. He looked so proud of his attire as he stood with his hands on his hips in a superhero stance.

Finn continued to shake his head at the women getting so much pleasure from his pain. He looked at the time on the cable box and saw it was nearly nine already. He still had yet to get a room for them and he was going to need some special attention to help heal the wounds these pictures were making.

He realized as he watched Rachel giggling over his dressing up in his mother's clothes at the age of three that he was glad he'd never brought any other women home before. Even more people would see all these mortifying remnants of his past. He also realized however that even though it was super embarrassing, he couldn't help but find it adorable how Rachel thought he was adorable. Her laugh was intoxicating and the way she lit up at his memories was awesome. He couldn't wait to get out of there and show her how awesome he thought she was.

"And here's his prom photo with his high school girlfriend." Rachel looked at the picture and couldn't help the wave of jealousy that crashed over her. The girl was stunning in her shimmery ice blue gown with her bright blonde hair in a perfectly coifed updo. The way Finn had his hands wrapped around her waist and her hands placed over his made her heart hurt a little. She didn't look anything like the perfect blonde in the picture which kind of made her wonder why Finn liked her. What had his other girlfriends looked like? Were they supermodel-esque blondes as well?

"I'm sorry, Finn, but I am so glad you two broke up the day after. She was horrible," Carole said as she took the photo back from Rachel.

"Yeah, I would have broken up with her sooner but I didn't want to totally ruin her prom." Rachel looked intrigued. "She wasn't exactly the nicest girl ever and she tried to convince me I was the father of her baby months after we graduated even though we hadn't ever slept together."

"I see." Now Rachel felt a little better about his past relationship. "That's a really horrible thing to do."

"I got over it." Finn stretched his arms and pretended to yawn. "Well Mom, Rachel and I should get going. We need to get a room still."

"You can stay here, it's fine."

Finn shook his head. "Nah, we'll just get a hotel. We don't want to be a burden on you."

When she noticed the way Finn was rubbing Rachel's leg, she understood why he really wanted to get a room. "Okay then. I guess I will see you tomorrow."

"Party starts at two, right?" he asked as he stood up, pulling Rachel up too.

Carole placed the albums back in their box. "Yes, two at Uncle Pete's. Feel free to bring a dish. We're doing potluck." The three walked toward the door and Rachel and Finn got their coats on.

"It was so nice to meet you, Carole. I can see where Finn gets his sweet demeanor from."

"Not to mention his good looks." Carole pinched his cheek and chuckled. "It was lovely meeting you too, Rachel. Finn's a lucky guy." She leaned in to give Rachel a hug before giving Finn one. "See you two tomorrow. Don't stay up too late," she told them knowingly.

Finn's cheeks pinked again. "We won't," he said trying to play it off. "Bye Mom."

"Bye Finn, bye Rachel. See you later." She waved goodbye as they made their way to Finn's truck, closing the door when they pulled out of the driveway.

"Well that was rather successful. She didn't even ask too many questions."

"Doesn't mean the rest of my family won't tomorrow though. They tend to like to pry."

"It's a good thing I'm such a terrific actress then," Rachel giggled.

Twenty minutes later, Finn and Rachel were dragging their stuff into their room at the Holiday Inn Express not too far from Finn's uncle's house. As soon as the door was closed and locked, Rachel started pulling her clothes off. She hopped onto the bed in only her bra and panties as she waited for Finn who was currently stuck inside his sweater.

"Would you just…GET OFF!" he barked at the sweater. Rachel giggled at him as she got up to help him get the thing over his head.

"Slow and steady, Finn. Otherwise you end up looking like a squirrel trapped inside a pillowcase."

"Weird analogy."

"Sorry, it was the first thing I thought of."

"Whatever, I just don't want to go slow right now." He picked Rachel up and carried her over to the bed. He finished removing the rest of his clothes as Rachel slid her panties off her body. Finn stood at the edge of the mattress as Rachel got on her knees and pulled him in for a kiss. His hands found the clasp of her bra and he hastily discarded the offending item. Immediately his hands found her breasts as she stroked him.

Once he was hard, Finn wrapped his arms around Rachel and laid her out on the bed. He hovered over her, propped up on his elbows on either side of her head. His lips found Rachel's while her hands helped guide him into her. She moaned deeply as he thrust into her quick and deep then slowly drew almost the entire way out before repeating the action.

"Finn?" Rachel whined out.

"Yeah?" he replied before sucking on her neck.

"Why…why me?"

Finn stopped moving, still inside Rachel, to look down at her questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"Why do you love _me_?" Though he had said his first girlfriend was a little crazy, she still couldn't get the image of the attractive blonde out of her mind. For some reason the girl brought out some insecurities Rachel always had deep down. "You could have any woman you wanted, your first girlfriend was a pretty blonde-"

"Rachel, I don't care about her. I don't care about any of the other women I've dated, not like I care about you. I love _you_. I love your ambition and how sweet you are and how you care about me. You make me feel special and important. I love how you love me for everything I am. And you're beautiful." He kissed her. "And sexy." He kissed her neck. "And gorgeous." He kissed above her breast. "And stunning." He pulled out of her and kissed her stomach just below her breasts. "And lovely." He kissed above her belly button. "And so fucking hot." He kissed just above her slit which was glistening and beckoning Finn to it.

He stared up at Rachel who was looking down at him with lust in her eyes as he slowly licked up her juices making her shiver. He pressed light kisses to her mound and used his hands to spread her legs more. His fingers parted her folds and he teased her opening with feather light touches. He slid one finger in and lightly stroked her silky walls while his tongue went back to working on her nub.

Rachel ran her fingers through his hair as she leaned up to watch him go down on her. His wet and warm tongue felt amazing on her sensitive clit and his fingers were slowly making their way to the right spot. He was building her up into a frenzy, taking his time to be sure she was properly humming in anticipation before allowing her the release she so desperately wanted.

"Ohhh, Finn…" she moaned out as he tickled her clit with the tip of his tongue. She closed her eyes until Finn stopped his motions. Her eyes shot open.

"Watch," he commanded gruffly. Rachel just nodded, a smirk on her face, as Finn went back to his task. Seconds later, he pressed on her spot and forced a tremble out of Rachel's body. He stroked it slowly to start but soon built up speed until he had her yelling his name and tightly clenching his fingers inside her. For double effect he took her pulsing clit between his lips and sucked until she was nearly down.

Before she could completely lose it though, Finn pulled away and lifted Rachel off the bed. He held her against him as he stood there, her arms and legs wrapped around his body, as he pushed into her and forced another whine from her lips.

"Mmhmm…" she whimpered as Finn slid in and out of her quickly trying to build her up again. Her body started seizing with orgasm once more and the feel of her body tightening around his cock buried inside her was too much and Finn groaned as he spilled into her, mouth puckered in a little 'o'. Rachel started giggling and pulled his face to hers to kiss him while he finished filling her.

He stood there holding Rachel as she kissed his face all over. Feeling suddenly exhausted, Finn collapsed on the bed, Rachel lying on top of him. He closed his eyes in contentment and focused on his rapidly beating heart and the feel of Rachel's warm skin against his body. She moved to his side and snuggled into him. Finn opened his eyes and stared down at her staring up at him.

His hand slid up her body and came to rest over her chest to feel her heart beating. "I love you and only you. I don't care about any other woman, you're it for me," he spoke quietly, reassuring her of his affections.

"I love you…more than I've ever loved anyone or anything, Finn." Rachel laid her hand over Finn's and brought his fingertips up to her lips to lightly kiss them. His hand slid over her cheek to come to rest on her neck just below her ear. Gently he leaned forward to press a simple kiss against her lips.

"You're amazing." His eyelids drooped sleepily but he refused to succumb to it yet. There was still much sex to be had.

"And you're sleepy. We should get some rest."

"But it's not even 10 yet…" he yawned widely making Rachel yawn. "Okay, maybe you're right."

Rachel chuckled. "There's always tomorrow, Finn." She unwillingly pulled away from Finn to get under the blankets. Once they were both covered, Rachel hastily made her way back into his arms. She molded herself to his body and kissed his collarbone. "Goodnight, Finn. I love you."

He kissed her forehead and held her closer. "I love you too, baby. Goodnight."

Minutes later both were happily asleep, holding each other and never letting go.


	8. Family Time

Just want to give a big thank you to everyone who has read, alerted, favorited and, especially, reviewed. It keeps me motivated to write and I'm sorry the updates haven't been that frequent, but the semester is nearly over! So without further ado...

* * *

><p>Rachel could feel the tickles over her stomach before she knew what they were. The strokes were light and gentle and when she could feel fingers on the back of her neck moving her hair out of the way and wet lips pressing against her suddenly cold skin, she realized where she was and who she was with. A broad smile crossed her face as she snuggled closer to Finn lying behind her.<p>

"Good morning," he mumbled against her skin, kissing her body as his hand ran up Rachel's stomach to graze the underside of her breast.

"Morning," Rachel greeted through a yawn. She turned her head to look back at him and he moved to give her a kiss but she placed her hand over her mouth stopping him. "I have morning breath and I'm kind of sticky from last night. Let me clean up first." She tried to move but Finn held her closer, not letting her go.

"Doesn't bother me. It's not like we haven't been this dirty before," he stated huskily with an eyebrow waggle before pulling her hand away and tilting her head to press his lips to hers.

Not bothering to protest for lack of caring, Rachel pressed her back closer into Finn. She could feel his member getting hard against her behind and the feeling made her grow instantly wet. Finn's hand slid back down her body until it reached her inner thigh. He lifted her leg and placed himself at her entrance, pushing into her, his hand just above keeping his cock from slipping out, palm rubbing against Rachel's throbbing clit.

Finn thrust into her quickly, drew out slowly nearly the entire way, then slammed back into her to the hilt. His pace sped up until their bodies smacked together loudly, making both of them cry out from the total mind-blowing sensation of a morning fuck. He began to push into her so harshly Rachel was forced onto her stomach while Finn lay on top of her holding her breasts in his hands, sucking and nipping on her shoulder. His cock thrust furiously in and out of Rachel while her ass fit perfectly against his body over hers.

Rachel held Finn's hands over her breasts, closing her eyes to simply feel Finn's body set hers ablaze. Their heat seemed to melt them into one; neither knowing where one ended and the other began. They were completely in sync as they finally succumbed to their bodies' needs and grunted and moaned their way to pure mutual euphoria.

Though he came rather aggressively, Finn didn't pull out until he had gone completely flaccid. The connection to Rachel seemed too important and too intense to break it before then. He continued to kiss her body, showering it with his love as she smiled widely into her pillow.  
>Her hand pulled Finn's up to her lips where she placed gentle kisses to his fingers and palm.<p>

"Mmm…it's a really good morning," Rachel said drowsily before emitting a little giggle.

"Told you I don't mind how dirty you can get." He rolled off Rachel and laid next to her, running his hand over her back as she turned her head to look at him. "It's great waking up with you in my arms."

Rachel smiled at him. "You're just saying that because I let you have your way with me every time it happens," she joked a little.

"Maybe a little, but it's more than that too. I like knowing there's someone who wants to wake up next to me as much as I want to wake up next to them. I love you, Rachel." He pulled her face closer to his and gave her a deep kiss. "I can't wait until you graduate so we can do this whenever we want."

"Me too. It'll be nice not to have to pretend anymore." Rachel kissed him once more then sat up and climbed out of bed.

Finn pouted at her as he shifted to view her nude body. "Where're you going? I wasn't done gettin' you off yet."

Rachel giggled appreciatively. "I'll be right back. Relax." She walked into the bathroom and Finn flicked the TV on to check the weather. It looked like a dour day in Toledo which meant everyone would be crammed inside. At least the party would be at Uncle Pete's where everyone would get a seat.

They spent the next few hours lounging in bed watching bad TV and making love before finally deciding it was time to get ready for the family party. They showered together, their constant playful banter and close proximity to the other's naked body dissolving into a round against the shower wall, then over the sink, and one last time in the swivel desk chair. By the time the pair made it down to Finn's car to head out, they were running late.

"Perhaps we should have saved that last go for later. Now we're going to be late."

"It's not like they won't let us in if we're there a few minutes late," Finn said through a chuckle. "My family isn't that mean."

"I know. I just want to make a good first impression. This is your family we're talking about. They're people very close to you and since I want this relationship to go the distance, I want them to like me," Rachel voiced her worry.

Finn took her hand in his and brought it up to his lips to give her a reassuring kiss. "I love you and I know they will love you too. Besides, you already won over my mom so there's really no one else who you need to worry about."

She nodded her head and chewed on her lip. "I hope I can keep everyone straight. Your family is so much bigger than mine."

Finn smiled at her. "You'll do great. Just relax. Think about that nice massage I promised you later," he reminded, tossing a wink at her.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "The last thing I need to be thinking about in front of your family is how you promised to 'massage my clit' later. I don't want them thinking I'm some teenaged sex fiend."

"You kinda are though." Finn smirked at her. "I certainly never had sex the way we do now back when I was your age; not in any of my past relationships actually."

Rachel bit her lip and scooted closer to Finn, running her hand along his inner thigh up to his package. "Well that's because those other women weren't Rachel Berry, Sex Goddess," she giggled, pressing a kiss to Finn's cheek.

He cleared his throat and tried to concentrate on not crashing his truck into a tree. "No they definitely were not."

A few minutes later, Finn was parked across the street from his uncle's house trying to keep an eye out for anyone possibly watching him and Rachel whilst trying to enjoy his girlfriend's tongue running up and down his rock hard shaft. He had been rather reluctant to allow her go down on him in such an open place but the thrill of it was doing nothing to stop the blood flow southward and when Rachel had worked his jeans and boxers over his erection and she started, there was no way he could stop her.

His hands found their way into her hair as his head flew backward, mouth wide open as she began lightly squeezing his balls and sucking on his tip. She licked down the underside of his cock then back up, taking more of him into her mouth. Her fingers moved lower on his body to press on the very sensitive area further down and his hips jolted upward from the pressure. He pulled on her hair tighter and worked his hips in time with Rachel's up and down motions until Finn couldn't wait any longer and released onto her tongue.

Rachel swallowed it all and sat up while Finn waited for his body to calm down. He looked over at Rachel and couldn't help the grin that crossed his face as she stared back at him. He reached his hand out and wiped a stray drop of his cum off her chin. "You missed some." Finn went to wipe it on a tissue on the dashboard but Rachel held his hand and sucked his thumb into her mouth licking it off, maintaining eye contact with him the entire time.

He groaned as she released his hand and helped tuck him back inside his pants. She turned to look at her appearance in the visor mirror, shaking her head. "I cannot believe I just did that. Me! You sir, have turned me into a little bit of a nymphomaniac," she proclaimed, glancing over at Finn who was still basking in his roadside blowjob as she put some lip gloss on.

"Not my fault I'm so sexy. You can take it up with my mom." Rachel laughed at him before popping a breath mint, using some hand sanitizer and leaning over to give him a kiss.

"Let's go. We're already nearly an hour late now and it's entirely your fault." She grinned at him and he rolled his eyes while she grabbed Carole's birthday present and the vegan caramel apple pie they had stopped for on their way.

They got out of the truck and Finn pulled Rachel into a side hug, taking his mother's present from her and kissing the top of her head as they walked up to the front door. Before they could even knock a girl who looked about Rachel's age opened the door and stood with her arms crossed over her chest tapping her foot, looking thoroughly pissed off.

"You are so lucky everyone is in the game room playing cards or air hockey because they would be disgusted by you and," she looked Rachel up and down quickly, "your girlfriend, I'm assuming, engaging in such a brazen and gross display of wanton sexual desire in the cab of your sad, sad beat up old truck. Now get in here before you disgrace the family and yourselves even more."

Finn and Rachel's mouths fell open in shock at the girl's blunt retelling of their previous activities in lieu of an actual greeting. They stared at each other then back at Finn's cousin before attempting to break the awkward.

"Don't just stand there! Get in the house!" the girl yelled at them, opening the door wider for them to enter.

Finn swallowed and took a deep breath. "Uh, Rachel, this is my cousin Trisha. Trisha, this is Rachel."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Rachel greeted brightly, sticking her hand out to shake, in the hopes they could simply put what she'd seen behind them and move forward.

Trisha just stared at her. "Pleasure. I'd shake your hand but I have a feeling I know where it's been."

Rachel glanced down at the floor, turning red in shame. "I used hand sanitizer," she mumbled lowly.

"So, Finn, how long have you been screwing an 18 year old?" Trisha asked as if it were a question about the weather as the three of them moved through the house to get to the rest of the family.

Finn balked at the question. "Jeez, Trish, could you be any ruder?"

She just shrugged and looked offended. "Could you be any more of a cradle robber? The girl is barely legal."

"You do realize I'm standing right here, right?" Rachel was growing more offended with each word.

Trisha sighed and turned to them. "I'm sorry. It's just weird. Finn hasn't brought a girlfriend home in years and now he suddenly shows up with one who probably couldn't even vote in the last election and who apparently has no problem with indecent exposure."

Finn couldn't believe what he was hearing. He knew his relationship with Rachel wasn't exactly the norm and yeah, the blowjob probably could have waited, but Trisha didn't usually act this way. It just wasn't like her to be so mean and bitter. "Trisha, that's enough. Jesus, what is your problem?"

"Is she whining because you actually have a girlfriend again?" another woman who looked very similar to Trisha asked as she walked up to the group which was stalled in the hallway.

"I'm not whining."

"Yeah, you're right, you're bitching. You could at least put in a little effort in front of my guest." Trisha rolled her eyes at him.

"Whatever, if you want to hand over the pie and the present, I'll put them where they need to go." She smiled as sweetly as she could at them as Rachel and Finn handed their items over.

Finn, Rachel and his other cousin watched her stalk off down the hall and to the left.  
>"What the hell crawled up her ass?"<p>

"Her boyfriend dumped her two days ago and she's been a little bitter about it ever since. She hasn't shown any emotion except anger yet. Anyone in a happy relationship is a target for her so, just watch out." The woman smiled at Finn and moved in to hug him. "Enough about the little sister from hell. How's my favorite cousin?"

Finn smiled back as he released her. "I'm good, really good, actually. Uh, Tara, this is my girlfriend Rachel. Rachel, Tara."

Tara shook Rachel's hand enthusiastically. "It's so nice to meet you. Aunt Carole hasn't stopped talking about you since she got here."

"It's great to meet you too."

Tara waved for them to follow her. "Come on, everyone else can't wait to meet you." She led them down the hall in the same direction Trisha had gone until they turned right instead.

"Relax, Rach. They won't all react the way Trisha did," Finn said to calm her down. He could tell she was nervous and really wanted to help make her feel better.

"Finn!" a whole group of people yelled as Tara, Finn and Rachel walked through the door. A couple guys grabbed some more chairs for the arriving couple and beckoned Finn and Rachel to join them at the table where everyone was playing rummy.

"Finn, glad to see you could finally make it," Jack said with a knowing wink at him. "We were surprised when you didn't show up with Aunt Carole but she said you were staying at a hotel with your girlfriend."

"Uh yeah. Didn't want to be a burden."

"I'm sure that's the reason." Jack and Jake chuckled at Finn's embarrassment. "Aunt Carole has been telling us all about Rachel. Said only the nicest things."

"I hope so. Rachel's a nice person."

Jake leaned over his brother and stuck out his hand for Rachel to shake. "I'm Jake, Finn's cousin." He pointed at everyone around the room counterclockwise as he ticked off their names. "This is Jack my annoying younger brother, my wife Lacey, Jack's girlfriend Calli, cousin Trisha, cousin Tammy and her husband Neil, their offspring Wally and Ashleigh are playing air hockey over there, my dad Pete, my mom Janet, Aunt Marcia and Uncle Simon and you met Tara and Aunt Carole already. Pop-Pop and Grams took off for the kitchen. Oh and that's Finn," he added, thinking he was funny. "But I'm guessing you know that already."

Rachel played along with him. "Yeah, I think I've seen him around before." She giggled and Trisha let out a snort cutting her laughter off.

"So Rachel, Carole says you live in New York? That must be fun. I've never been but I've always wanted to go," Aunt Marcia asked Rachel as the group continued to play their card game.

Rachel cleared her throat to prepare herself for all her years of training to shine through for her. "Oh New York is wonderful. I love it there. My fathers first took me there on vacation when I was twelve and ever since it's the only place I've ever wanted to live and now I get to."

"Your fathers? As in plural?" Neil asked catching on.

"Yes, I have two gay dads. I love them to death." Rachel hoped none of Finn's family would have a problem with that. Not everyone she met was entirely comfortable with her family and her fathers' lifestyle.

No one seemed to be bothered by this information. "Cool. But if you live in New York, how did you and Finn meet?"

Rachel looked at Finn who was staring quite intently at the cards on the table even though he wasn't playing. They were wading into territory that they had prepared for but ultimately was unknown.

"Well, I'm originally from Lima and Finn works at McKinley, my high school, and I was home and thought I'd stop by to visit some of my teachers. We happened to run into each other and just really clicked and we've been together since." They smiled at each other and Finn put his hand on Rachel's knee, giving it a light squeeze.

"Of course you met in a high school since you're practically jailbait," Trisha said with a slight sneer. Finn glared at her and she glared right back at him.

"Aunt Carole did mention the age difference," Tammy noted, looking a little judgmentally at her younger cousin.

Jack punched Finn in the arm lightly. "Oh, so is that why you wanted to become a high school teacher? You get older but the girls stay the same age?"

Finn flipped him off. "This isn't _Dazed and Confused_. It's not like that at all. Rachel and I are serious." He took her hand and squeezed it tightly.

Trisha didn't look convinced. "How can you be that serious? She lives in New York and you're in Ohio. Not exactly convenient is it?"

Finn licked his lips nervously. He had been waiting to tell his family about his impending move but now seemed as good a time as any since everyone was gathered. "I actually won't be living in Ohio anymore after the school year. I'm moving to New York."

"What?" a few of the women at the table screeched, including Carole.

"You're moving to New York?" his mother asked, her eyes wide in shock. "When were you planning on telling us?"

His brow furrowed. "I just told you now. Look, I've been thinking about it for weeks now and I want to move to be with Rachel. Like I said, we're serious and I want to be wherever she is."

Rachel stared down at their entwined hands feeling awful. Clearly his family was not too happy with Finn's decision to move to New York and she felt like it was her fault.

"As soon as the school year is over I'm going to New York to look at some apartments and go to some interviews I managed to get."

Rachel looked up shocked by his words. "You already have interviews?"

"Yeah, I sent my résumé in to a few places and they called me to set up interviews once the year is over." The corner of his mouth twitched up as Rachel's face brightened.

Forgetting her place momentarily, Rachel gave Finn a big kiss and hugged him tightly. "I love you, so much."

"I love you more." He kissed her again until a throat clearing reminded them of where they were.

"Well I think it's great, Finn. You've hardly ever been out of Ohio. A change of scenery could be nice," Tara offered, earning some nods from a few of the others.

"Thank you, Tara. I'm actually really excited about it."

"And will you and Rachel be living together?" Carole asked, concerned that her son might be moving too fast with a girl who might change her mind. Finn might be ready for more but Rachel was still so young. She could love Finn now in Ohio but then meet some rich, suave New York guy at school and leave him to be stuck alone in a city he wasn't used to.

"No, I'll be dorming until at least junior year. We're taking things slow."

"Which is why Finn is moving out of state for a teenager…"

"Trisha! What is your problem? Fine, Rachel is young, I get it, we both know how it looks but that doesn't mean you need to keep harping on it!" Finn exploded at his surly cousin. "Just drop it."

Marcia turned to look at her daughter. "He's got a point, Trish. It's their business. Leave 'em alone."

"Alright everyone! Dinner is finally ready!" an older woman, Finn's Grams Rachel assumed, exclaimed as she walked into the family room. All the guys scrambled to their feet and rushed out of the room forgetting entirely about their game of rummy. Finn tugged on Rachel's arm to keep her from leaving with the rest of them so they could have a private word.

"I'm really sorry about Trisha. She's totally out of line."

Rachel put her hand up signaling it was okay. "It's fine. I get why she finds it weird, she'd probably think it even worse if she knew the whole story. We knew we'd have to face a little adversity though."

Finn shrugged. "Still, she's being really rude and it's not cool. So I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize for her. I love you and that's all that matters."

"I love you too." Finn leaned down to kiss Rachel and ran his hands down her back to cup her behind.

"…really need some more bran in my diet," a gruff older voice said from the doorway. "Where'd everyone go?"

Finn and Rachel turned their attention to the doorway where a man who appeared to be in his 70's stood.

"Hey Pop-Pop! I was wondering where you were," Finn said as he released Rachel and moved to hug his grandfather. The two men embraced and Pop-Pop stared at Rachel over Finn's shoulder.

"Who's the lady?" he asked Finn when they broke apart.

Finn beckoned for Rachel to move forward. "Rachel this is my Pop-Pop, George. Pop-Pop, this is my girlfriend Rachel."

"It's so nice to meet you, sir."

"Sir? Sir makes me sound like an old man. Call me George, please." He took Rachel's hand and kissed the back of it. "And the pleasure is mine young lady." He looked up at Finn. "Where'd everyone go?"

"Dinner is ready."

"What are we doin' standin' around here then? Let's go eat!" George clapped his hands together and motioned for Finn and Rachel to exit the room before him. As they left his eyes glanced down to Rachel's behind and he couldn't help but admire the view.

Dinner progressed smoothly without anymore rude or snarky comments from Trisha and without anyone asking too many questions that could potentially out the true nature of Finn and Rachel's relationship. The group accepted Rachel easily, like she belonged in the family and had always been there. She got along quite well with Tara and like Finn had mentioned before, Pop-Pop really did have a thing for Rachel's ass.

When dinner finished they went back to playing their game but Rachel had opted to try her hand at air hockey when Wally and Ashleigh asked if she wanted to play with them.

Finn sat next to Pop-Pop at the card table and was awaiting his turn when his grandfather leaned over to whisper in his ear. "You are one lucky kid, kid."

Finn chuckled. "And why is that, Pop-Pop?"

"That girl of yours has the roundest ass I've seen since your Grams." He whistled as the two of them watched Rachel lean over the air hockey table to reach the puck, making her skirt hug her butt tightly.

"That's really creepy, Pop-Pop." Finn knew his Pop-Pop was going to say something about Rachel but that didn't mean he wanted to have the discussion.

"What? Your grams had a-"

"Pop-Pop, I really don't want to hear about Grams' butt and you're kinda being creepy old man right now."

Pop-Pop sighed. "Alright. I guess that means you don't want to compare how they are in the sack?"

"Pop-Pop!" Finn yelled, grabbing everyone's attention. Rachel looked at him with concern as the old man just started laughing.

"I'm kidding. Now take your turn, kid." He slapped Finn on the back as Finn and Rachel shared another glance. He simply shook his head and took his turn.

Rachel went back to her game with Ashleigh after Finn's outburst had ceased. She wasn't sure what had gotten him so riled up but it appeared to be over with. She had been losing to Ashleigh prior and it wasn't entirely her being nice and letting the girl win to earn some brownie points. Rachel had never been good at sports but she thought for sure she could at least play a decent game against a nine year old. She had been wrong though. Even Wally's pointers weren't helping her at all.

"Block!" he yelled at her as Ashleigh put another one away bringing the score to 6-2 and that much harder for Rachel to catch up. He stared at her seriously while his sister did a happy dance. "You aren't very good at this game."

"Sports aren't really my thing."

"Then why are you with Finn? He loves sports," the kid inquired, arching an eyebrow at her.

"We have other things in common. We both love music and many of the same books and movies and we just...connect really well." She wasn't about to tell him that their sexual chemistry was off the charts but that was a huge part of their close connection as well.

"You're 18, right?"

Rachel felt like she was about to walk into a trap as she hesitantly answered his sudden question. "Yes. Why?"

"I just turned 13 last month. We're only five years apart. That's less than you and Finn."

"Someone is good at math," Rachel said a little sarcastically as she looked over at Finn who was laughing at something one of his cousins said.

"I can see why Finn likes you. You're really pretty."

Rachel's eyebrows shot upward as her eyes flickered back and forth. "Um, thank you."

Ashleigh scoffed just then before speaking. "Wally, stop hitting on Finn's girlfriend. They're in love and she isn't interested in _you_."

Wally made a face at his sister who stuck her tongue out at him before going all Rico Suave on Rachel. "I'm just sayin', if in five years you and Finn aren't together, for you, I will be available. Nothin' wrong with an older woman in my book."

Rachel's mouth fell open at the kid's cockiness. Was she really getting hit on by a 13 year old? She couldn't help but chuckle as the kid checked her out.

"If in five years Finn and I aren't still together and you find me in New York then we'll talk okay? I don't think I will be on the market though...at least I hope not." She looked back over at Finn who she caught staring at her, turning red when he realized she'd noticed. She smiled at him and threw him a wave before Ashleigh insisted on finishing their game.

Rachel went through the motions of playing but her mind wasn't in it. All Rachel could think about was the future. Where would she be in five years' time? She could hope all she wanted that she would make it through college and onward to Broadway all while maintaining a loving relationship with Finn until that time he would finally ask her to marry him and become his wife. That didn't mean it would come true. She played out the fantasies in her head all the time, imagining every minor detail of her college experience and what Broadway would be like and how Finn would propose and their wedding and what their kids would look like and their names but until those moment would actually arrive she couldn't be certain of her future. She could only hope with enough hard work, perseverance and love she could make all her dreams come true, both professional and private.

"Ha! I win!" Ashleigh yelled as she started doing a victory dance.

Rachel smiled at the girl. "I guess air hockey just isn't my game. Maybe I'll be better at rummy."

"Did I miss the Happy Birthday?" a new voice said aloud to the group.

Rachel turned around to see an attractive blonde man walking towards Carole to give her a hug. Ashleigh squealed a little bit as she breezed past Rachel to go over to the man.

"Sam!" she screeched as she flung herself at him.

"Hey, kiddo," he replied as he caught the small girl, stumbling backward a little. Rachel watched them interact and walked over to Finn who scooted his chair out a little so Rachel could sit on his lap.

"Sam? As in your best friend?" she asked him quietly.

Finn just nodded at her before greeting his long time friend who just walked over to shake his hand and take a seat.

"So, this your lady I've heard so much about?" Sam asked, putting his hand out to shake Rachel's. She hesitantly took it not understanding how Sam knew about her already. Finn hadn't told anyone about their relationship.

"How do you know about Rachel?" Finn asked for the both of them.

Sam threw his thumb over his shoulder at Tara. "She's been texting me all day." He leaned forward. "I hope you don't mind. We've been dating."

Finn's eyes widened significantly. "What the hell, dude? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's a new development. Anyway," Sam turned away from Finn and looked to the group. "We doing cake soon? I'm hungry."

The group finished up their game quickly while Sam and Rachel held a conversation. He was interested in learning about Finn's new girlfriend since all his past ones hadn't been that great and had left Finn an emotional mess on Sam's couch for days at a time. Sam hoped it wouldn't happen again.

When he learned her age and where exactly the two had met, he tried to make the same lame joke Jack had made only using his Matthew McConaughey impersonation.

Finn just shook his head at him. "Dude, Jack already used that joke."

Sam's face fell. "Did he at least do a McConaughey impression?"

"No. He's not as lame as you are."

Sam scoffed. "My impersonations are the best. The ladies love 'em. I've been working on my James Earl Jones. You should hear it."

"Oh I have. It's a real lady killer," Finn replied sarcastically, earning the finger from his friend.

The game finished and everyone set about getting ready for cake and presents. The rest of the night seemed to fly by as everyone awed at Rachel's lovely singing voice during Happy Birthday and Carole opened endless pajama sets. Only Finn had chosen to get her a gift he knew she actually wanted. Carole had been dropping hints about wanting the latest iPod for when she went on her walks for months and Finn knew he had to get it for her. She had been elated and hugged him tightly before leaving a lipstick mark on his cheek.

The family then dissolved into smaller groups with some leaving and some going to play karaoke on the Wii. Though Finn missed his family and loved spending time with them, he also loved spending time with Rachel…naked…with her under him…or on top…however they felt like going at it. He faked a yawn though it was only around seven and began saying his goodbyes.

"Do you have to leave already? We've hardly seen you in the past few months and with you moving we'll see you even less," Carole stated sadly to her son.

"We'll stop by tomorrow before we leave for a bit. I can take you out to lunch wherever you want to go. Sound good?" He half smirked at her and she smiled back at him.

"Fine, but I'm holding you to that." Carole laughed and hugged Finn to her before turning to Rachel and hugging her just as tightly. Before releasing her she whispered into her ear. "Take good care of each other, okay?" She pulled away and gave her a small smile.

"We will," Rachel replied before turning to Finn. "We should go. I have to work on my paper."

"Your paper?" Finn asked confused.

Rachel raised her eyebrow. "You know, that paper we talked about that's due Monday?"

Finn's mouth fell open in realization. "Right, your paper. Sorry, forgot. Well, let's go then."

They made their way out to Finn's truck and as Finn hopped in he turned to Rachel. "Do you really need to work on your paper? I thought you finished all your homework before we left?"

"I didn't get to my paper yet. It won't take me that long to do."

"Can't you do it tomorrow when we get back?" Finn whined a little. He didn't want to wait for Rachel to work on her paper. He wanted to go back to the hotel and fuck her senseless.

"My dads will be suspicious if they get home and find me doing homework at the last minute. It's not like me." Finn groaned and started the truck. Sensing he would be pouty all night and probably wouldn't actually let her accomplish any work anyway, Rachel relented. "Fine, I can wait until I get home. I'll make up some excuse if they ask."

Finn smiled triumphantly. "I love you."

"Yeah, yeah." She narrowed her eyes at him and pursed her lips. "You're lucky you're so dang cute and you better give me that massage you owe me."

Finn smirked at her before starting on their way back to the hotel. "Oh don't worry, babe. I definitely plan on it."


	9. A Moral Dilemma

Rachel was livid. Finn was in a pile of shit up to his elbows and if he thought he'd be forgiven any time soon, he had another think coming.

Of course she knew about Finn's point docking policy for late papers but she didn't really think it applied to her anymore since she let Finn fuck her any time he wanted, not that that was what she expected in exchange or anything like that, but it would make sense, wouldn't it? It was just really frustrating that Finn took 10 points off for her paper being a day late when he knew damn well why it was late in the first place. She knew she shouldn't have let him get his way so easily while away.

When Rachel received her paper back that Wednesday in class she had as usual been expecting a solid A. When she saw the big red B with late written under it her heart slammed to a stop and she looked up at Finn to see if he was joking. He didn't look her in the face, or at all, and continued to hand back papers like he hadn't just docked his girlfriend 10 points for something that was his fault.

Rachel should have known better than to leave the paper to Sunday night. After spending a lovely day out with Finn and his mother and Sam, who had shown up to Carole's before even Finn and Rachel had to fix her bathroom toilet which had been on the fritz, Rachel and Finn had driven home early enough to make sure she would be home well before her dads to keep them from finding out she had left at all. On the drive however she received a call from them saying they would be delayed a day and wouldn't be home until the following night.

Elated at this news, Finn asked Rachel to stay over which she had initially declined citing her paper as reason but somehow Finn had managed to persuade her to choose differently. Honestly, it hadn't taken much persuasion on his part. She loved spending time with him and spending the night doing real couple-y type things. Since they couldn't really go out and were still waiting for their first real date out, nights like that were what they had to work with.

She had successfully worked on the paper for about 20 minutes getting only a minimal amount finished when Finn brought dinner out to the table then after he had finagled her out of finishing by tossing her over his shoulder, throwing her down on the bed and ravishing her until she passed out. When she woke up the next morning, paper unfinished she frantically scrambled but it was pointless. Even if she skipped lunch she wouldn't get the paper done. Figuring it was Finn and taking into account the nature of their relationship, Rachel waited until the next day to turn in a stellar paper.

She was kicking herself for allowing Finn to talk her out of doing her homework and she knew sex was no excuse not to do it and now she would never let anything like this happen again but even though she should have taken control and said no, Rachel still couldn't help but blame Finn. He knew she had to work on her paper and still distracted her then had the gall to take points off for it!

Suffice it to say, Rachel was livid.

At rehearsal that day she was totally off kilter from her frustration and didn't miss that Finn was conveniently absent from the auditorium. Mr. Hudson was not going to be avoiding Miss Berry that easily that day. She planned on going right to his apartment after she was finished at school and giving him a piece of her mind. That was if she could survive Kurt's interrogation. Since Monday he'd been trying to uncover the truth of Rachel's real weekend plans. Of course Rachel had denied everything and continued to do so but it was starting to get on her nerves his constant pursuit.

"There is no way you went to Cleveland this weekend, Rachel," Kurt whispered to her backstage as they watched the other actors performing 'America', waiting for their own cues when they would arrive.

"How would you know? You weren't there," she barked back.

Kurt folded his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes at her. "Where was your car all weekend? And why is it that your dads weren't home until Monday night but you were in school on Monday? And the Rachel I know would _never_ turn in a late paper, especially for Mr. Hudson's class."

"Okay, one, I have turned in late homework on occasion, it's not entirely unheard of. Two, you're being paranoid, Kurt," she lied. Rachel knew he wasn't being paranoid but she couldn't very well spill the beans, not yet. "You need to stop butting into my life and stop following me! It's an invasion of privacy and totally unwarranted."

Kurt looked scandalized. "Totally unwarranted?" he hissed at her shrilly. "Rachel, you have been acting weird for weeks. You're my best friend and I feel like we're drifting apart because of whatever this secret is that you feel you can't tell me. You can tell me anything. I won't judge you, you know that. Why can't you just stop hiding whatever it is you are trying to keep from everyone?" Kurt stared at her with big eyes. He was genuinely concerned by Rachel's behavior of late and just wanted his old friend back. He didn't like this new secretive and truth avoiding Rachel who never seemed to have time for her friends anymore.

She looked apologetic as she placed a hand on Kurt's shoulder. Realizing he wasn't stupid and knew something was going on with her she decided to at least acknowledge that he wasn't off about something being different in her life. "Kurt, I-I want to tell you, I do, I want to tell everyone...but I can't. Not yet."

"Why not? What could be so big that you can't tell me, your best friend?"

She shook her head and glanced at the floor. "I just can't yet, Kurt. It'll only be for a little bit longer. Once the school year is over everything will go back to normal. I promise."

Kurt looked confused but couldn't say anything more as Rachel's cue came and she needed to head out onstage. He eyed Rachel for the remainder of the day trying to figure out why she had to keep a secret until the end of the school year. He _had_ heard her fornicating in the prop room. It didn't matter what Rachel, Blaine and Santana said, he knew what he heard and it was definitely Rachel in there with a deep voiced man. Was that little rendezvous part of it? Was that the man she had been going to see at that apartment building? That had to be what she was hiding. It was the only thing that she seemed shady on. Why would she need to hide a relationship though? Who would she date that she couldn't let anyone know about?

He decided to drop it for the day however as he and Blaine had plans together that night that interested him much more so than Rachel and her secret. Kurt could save his investigating for another day.

When rehearsal was over Rachel booked it out of the school and over to Finn's place as fast as she could. As she stomped down the hallway, contemplating everything she was going to say to Finn, Rachel seethed. It wasn't fair what Finn had done and there was no way she was going to let him get away with it. She banged on the door and waited impatiently for him to answer.

Inside the apartment Finn had been sitting on his couch watching television in some sweats alone, having just come back from a run and feeling sticky in his t-shirt. When he heard the knock he began to panic as he had a feeling he knew who it was. Rachel was not happy and he knew she wouldn't be, but what was he supposed to do? It would have looked like favoritism if he had changed his policy just for her. Her paper was late and he couldn't ignore that.

Dreading having Rachel mad at him, Finn drudged himself off the couch and answered the door. Rachel stood on the other side fuming as he gave her a weak smile. She tried to ignore the fact that he was sweaty and half naked and really turning her on as she breezed past him and waited for him to close the door before doing what she had come by to do and laying into him.

"Hey Rach," Finn started quietly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Don't 'hey Rach' me! How could you knock points off my paper when it's your fault I couldn't finish it on time in the first place?" she screamed at him. "You _knew_ I had to work on my paper but you kept distracting me anyway!"

Finn sighed and threw his head back. "Rachel, I can't change the rules just for you! That would look really bad on my part. I can't play favorites. Besides, you didn't have to stay over Sunday."

An infuriated glare crossed Rachel's features. "Oh so it's my fault?" she asked incredulously. "I told you I should have gone home but you promised me you'd let me work on my paper in peace but you just had to have sex!"

Finn scoffed. "I hardly forced you! We could have waited!"

"It's kinda hard to wait when you've already got your pants off and you're sliding into me as you ask if I'm sure my homework can wait!" She crossed her arms over her chest and stared down her boyfriend who seemed to be taller and more muscle-y suddenly.

"Do not blame me for your lack of control and prioritizing," Finn said slowly and calmly as he stepped forward.

"Oh that's rich; _my_ lack of control, like you aren't guilty. Finn, just change my damn grade! You know it's A work and you know it's your fault it didn't get done!" She stepped closer to him, eyeing him down angrily.

"I'm not changing your grade. I can't. I'm still your teacher and you're still my student and I have to be fair when I grade."

"Change my grade or you will never-"

"Or I will never get sex again?" he asked, calling her bluff. He knew there was no way she'd give up sex over this. "Unlikely. And why are you even mad anyway? It's not like this class counts for you. You already got into college!"

"Because it's the principle of the thing, Finn!" Rachel threw her arms out in exasperation. "I deserve my A and you can't take it away for something that was your fault!"

"It's not my fault, Rachel!"

"Change my grade!" she yelled up at him as she stepped closer. He stood firmly in front of her.

"No."

"Finn, I'm not playing around."

"Neither am I."

"Change it!" Rachel yelled as she poked him in the chest hard.

Finn shook his head at her as he rubbed the spot. "I can't, Rachel."

She grit her teeth and stomped her foot. "You are so frustrating! You can change it you just won't!"

"Just because you're my girlfriend doesn't mean I can give you special treatment in class! God, I thought you understood that?"

"I do, Finn, but when I can't finish my homework because of something _you_ did, I thought maybe you'd cut me some slack."

Finn smiled without humor behind it. "Takes two to fuck, babe."

Rachel smiled back sweetly at him. "Actually it doesn't, but you'll be finding that out now as the only way you'll be getting off anytime soon is by fucking yourself!" Rachel stepped around Finn attempting to storm off out of the apartment. A hand gripping her wrist and spinning her around quickly stopped her in her tracks however.

Before she could stop him, Finn kissed her harshly on the mouth, his hands holding her face still before creeping back to run through her hair. When the inevitable came and they had to break for air, Rachel shoved at his body to get him off her. She looked angry but made no move to leave. Finn gulped as he realized he may have just made the biggest mistake ever.

He knew the last thing Rachel probably wanted him to do was kiss her but he just couldn't help himself. She looked so hot when she was all puffed up about something with her chest heaving and her hair swishing about and the swearing… His libido seemed to take over in an effort to keep Rachel from leaving. Then to Finn's utter surprise, Rachel pulled his head back down rather roughly to hers and held him tightly.

To reach her lips better, Finn picked her up and she swung her legs to wrap around his body. She tugged at his hair as his lips moved down her neck while he started making his way to the bedroom. Unable to see where he was going as he was too busy giving Rachel a hickey he knew she'd probably not be too happy about, Finn banged into the coffee table, a sharp pain shooting through his nerves.

"Ow, fuck!" he shouted when his mouth broke away from Rachel's skin. "Damn it."

"Stop being such a baby so I can fuck you already! My patience is wearing thin, Finn."

Rachel was still pissed off but she couldn't deny what her body wanted. Her body needed Finn's and she needed some way to punish him for lowering her grade and being so unwilling to change it. On his second attempt to maneuver around the table, Finn walked smoothly away and rushed into his bedroom.

He laid Rachel out on the bed, hovering over her until she painfully scratched her nails down his chest and flipped them over. "I'm still pissed at you, you know."

Finn smirked at her as he ran his hands under her skirt and started tugging down her panties. "You sure have a funny way of showing it." He tried to lean up to give her a kiss but had his head unceremoniously shoved back against the bed.

"Shut up, Finn." Rachel ripped her shirt off and pressed Finn down into the mattress as she helped him get her panties off. Not bothering to help him with his pants, Rachel climbed forward until she was straddling his upper chest, the hem of her skirt grazing his chin. "The only thing I want coming out of your mouth right now is your tongue."

She lifted her skirt up and settled over his head aligning her slick entrance with Finn's mouth. He grinned like a fool as he ran his hands up the back of her thighs to grip her ass as she lowered herself to connect their bodies. Finn's tongue teased her opening before dipping inside her. Her fingers slipped into his hair as she moved her hips back and forth enjoying the feel of Finn's tongue and lips lapping at her pussy, drinking in her juices.

"Oh God," she moaned when he moved her body to nip at her clit. Her eyes shut tightly as the fire built inside her. Her body arched and she pressed her hands against the bed above Finn's head as he gripped her hips tightly to pull her as close to his face as he could. Stars formed behind her eyelids when the friction became too much. She was teetering on the edge until the tip of Finn's tongue lightly nudging her aching clit forced her to fall. Her being trembled as the orgasm tore through her body, her bud pulsing under Finn's lips while her toes curled from the extremity.

She felt herself begin to come down but Finn didn't release his grip on her hips, continuing to lick and suck on her overly sensitive nerves. Rachel sat back up and removed her skirt from over Finn's face to look down at him. His eyes were closed but opened when he felt the cooler air hit his face. They stared at each other and Finn slid his hand to Rachel's opening, pushing his fingers inside her, lightly tapping on her g-spot to make her come again. Her eyes fell closed and her head fell backward as her hands came to rest on Finn's chest behind her to support her weight. This time when she finished, she yanked Finn's hands off her body and stood up, dropping her skirt to cover his face while she stepped down his body and plunked herself just above the waist of his sweats.

She pushed the material down his body and released his erection before shifting back to allow his cock to press against her slit. He threw her skirt off him and moaned as she ran her fingers up and down his shaft almost lazily, merely rubbing her body against him. "Fuuu- Rachel, please," he whined at his teasingly torturous girlfriend as he gripped her calves which were hugging his torso.

"Don't talk," Rachel stated as she tilted her hips to tuck Finn inside her and began rocking them back and forth, taking him in and out repeatedly as she dug her nails into his abdomen leaving little angry red marks. "Oh fuck, you feel so good."

"You too, baby," Finn grunted out as he thrust his hips upward. "I love you, Rachel."

"Did I say you could talk?" she sniped at him.

He looked confused but didn't stop moving. "What?"

Rachel looked around her until she spotted her panties lying next to Finn's head. She leaned forward to grab them and quickly shoved them into Finn's mouth. "Stop talking!"

She moved her legs so her feet were no longer near his head and knelt over his body as she began to bounce forcefully on him. When he tried to pull the underwear out of his mouth, Rachel held her hand over it and gripped his shoulder tightly with her free hand.

Her hips moved furiously back and forth trying to create the delicious friction she needed to get off again. Finn's hands came to grip Rachel's wrists to try to remove her hands but she just held on tighter.

"Touch me, Finn!" Rachel cried out as her head dipped forward to rest on the shoulder she was not gripping. "Touch me."

Finn made a muffled noise through the panties in his mouth but ran his hand down Rachel's chest – leaving one on her breast, pulling her bra down to tug on her hardened nipple – until he reached her clit. As his fingers touched her he could feel her walls tightening around his cock buried inside her. She was getting close to coming again. With another quick succession of flicks to her nub, Rachel whimpered and bit down on the ball of his shoulder hard, screaming in ecstasy around it.

For some reason the bite triggered his own release and he moaned as he shot his load inside Rachel who was still thrusting back and forth on him, milking both their orgasms until they couldn't stand it anymore. When she finally couldn't keep herself up anymore, Rachel collapsed fully on Finn and laid there motionless on his body. His arms wrapped around her, holding her tightly and stroking her lower and upper back. He rolled them over so he was on top and finally pulled the underwear out of his mouth.

"Was the underwear really necessary?" he asked in a deep voice against Rachel neck before placing a gentle kiss there.

Rachel nodded her head, a tiny smile on her lips. "I wanted you to be quiet." Finn's hand brushed over her hair then came to rest on her neck before trailing down to rest between her breasts.

"Are you still mad at me?" He looked at her trying to gauge if the anger was still in her eyes.

She shook her head. "I'm still annoyed because you distracting me did nothing to help the situation, but…I shouldn't have skipped my homework to have sex in the first place. You're right, I should prioritize better. Before you, sex versus homework was never really a problem I had to deal with."

Finn chuckled a little. "Sorry about that…and I'm sorry I distracted you. I could have waited. And I'm sorry I can't change your grade. It would be bad enough if people found out about our relationship. We don't need to add grade altering to it." He ran his fingers through her hair again.

She looked pensively up at him. "I somehow think grade altering would be overshadowed by the fact that we have sex _all_ the time."

"True, but it's the principle of the thing."

"You're just lucky this class won't affect me getting into college…and that you're cute." She giggled and pulled his face down to kiss him. "I should really get home. My dads will be wondering where I am."

Finn made a sad face. "Will you be over tomorrow?" he asked with hope, an eyebrow rising in anticipation.

"Sadly no, I can't." Finn's face fell at her words. "We're running the show for an audience tomorrow after school and then I'll have homework to do and my daddy is actually going to make dinner for once. But after the after party on Friday I'm free." Rachel smiled at him making him brighten a little.

"Well after that after party be sure to get your fine ass over here. I intend on celebrating you being the best Maria ever." He waggled his eyebrows at her before giving her a deep kiss. When it broke, Rachel pulled away and motioned for Finn to get off her. Finn laid on the bed watching her get dressed again. "I love you, Rachel," he announced without preamble.

Rachel turned around and smiled at him, crawling onto the bed to give him a kiss. "I love you too, Finn." She kissed him again and reluctantly pulled away, standing up once more. "I need to go."

Finn nodded and pulled his pants back up all the way to walk Rachel out to the door. They said their goodbyes with a minor make-out and Rachel left Finn staring after her retreating form until she was gone. It was ridiculous how in love he was with Rachel and he could not wait for all the secrecy and school to be over.

They just had to last a little bit longer and then they could be together without worry.


	10. The Truth

The first performance of West Side Story had gone off without a hitch. Rachel and Blaine had received standing ovations and for once Kurt didn't pester Rachel every time he saw her. It seemed he was too nervous to do much besides mutter his lines to himself over and over until he had to actually recite them onstage.

When the show ended the cast entered the hallway to meet up with family members to get their flowers and congratulations. Everyone praised Artie on his masterful directorial debut, Blaine's face was covered in lipstick as his mother kept kissing him and exclaiming about how big of a star her baby was, Mr. Hummel was ruffling Kurt's hair in acclamation to which his son cast him a stern glare at having messed up his 'do and Santana and her parents were having a rapid fire exchange in Spanish as they hugged.

Rachel knew her dads would be over to congratulate her soon once they could break through the crowd but their heads were not the ones she was scanning for in the mass of bodies. Obviously Finn couldn't scoop her up in a loving embrace and kiss her with abandon before handing her a huge and beautiful bouquet of flowers like she had envisioned so many times before, but just to see him smiling at her and telling her what a wonderful job she had done would be enough until she could get him alone later. Her eyes scanned endlessly until she felt a tap on the back of her shoulder. Thinking it was the man she'd been searching for she smiled and turned around to find…Jacob Ben Israel.

She sneered unpleasantly at him. "Please don't touch me again," she snapped.

Jacob just stepped even closer. "Oh my pet. You were lovely. I bought you these." Jacob handed her a bouquet of variously colored carnations. When she didn't willingly take them from him he pressed them into her body to force them upon her. "Now, if I could get a few words from you about the show for the paper and my blog…"

"Jacob, how about you do that another time? I'm sure the performers are rather tired and just want to relax now," a deep voice said from behind Rachel.

She brightened as soon as she recognized it. Jacob nodded his head, Jewfro shaking everywhere, and walked away sadly. Rachel bit her lip and turned around to see Finn beaming at her. His hands were in his pockets and he shifted on his feet.

Finn just really wanted to hug Rachel and kiss her face and tell her how much he loved her and her performance then take her back to his place and show her how much he loved her but he had to restrain himself. School, in front of the entire musical's cast and their families, was not the appropriate time or place for gross public displays of affection, especially as the Misters Berry had just walked up with two large bouquets of roses for their little star.

"Rachel!" the man Finn assumed to be Hiram squealed at her before hugging her tightly and giving her big kisses on her cheeks. "Sweetheart, you were amazing! So enchanting!"

"You had your Daddy in tears, baby doll."

Hiram scoffed. "I wasn't the only one." He nudged Leroy in the ribs and his partner just shrugged.

"Okay, I felt for you when Tony died. You sure Blaine is gay? You two had great chemistry," Leroy commented unknowingly making Finn's blood boil. So he wasn't the only one that seemed to pick up on their chemistry together.

Rachel just rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Yes Dad, I'm 100 percent positive Blaine is gay. He's dating Kurt and has been for a very long time." She glanced over at Finn who was a little red in the face.

Hiram noticed her eyes shift and realized she was looking at a man who was standing against the lockers listening to their conversation. "Oh, I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Dad, Daddy, this is Mr. Hudson. He's my English teacher and the savior of the musical. He took over for Mrs. Schmidt after her car accident," Rachel explained to her fathers. _He's also the best boyfriend ever_ she added to herself mentally as she smiled brightly at him.

Hiram and Leroy both relaxed when they realized Finn was only Rachel's teacher. They introduced themselves and shook Finn's hand to thank him for saving their baby girl's last high school show. He had never been so nervous to meet a student's parents in his life. Of course that probably had something to do with the fact that he wasn't usually fucking the student in question.

"I just stopped by to tell Rachel how great she was. She's a fantastic actress and a great student." Finn nodded his head awkwardly. "Well, I'm going to go congratulate the rest of the kids. It was nice meeting you both. Rachel, I'll see you later." He waved at her and walked away quickly to put as much distance between himself and Rachel's dads as possible. She once told him that Leroy used to box in college and that was how he met Hiram. He really didn't need Leroy to box his head – or other body parts – in.

Rachel was a little sad as she watched Finn walk away but she understood his skittishness. If her dads found out about their relationship before she was ready, they would probably send her to a nunnery despite her religion and put Finn into a box six feet under.

"I can see why you like English so much, Rachel. He's pretty cute."

Rachel's eyes widened in horror as she realized her daddy had been checking out her boyfriend. "Daddy!"

"What? It's okay to look, just don't touch." Leroy and Rachel both stared at him.

Needing to get off the topic of her boyfriend/English teacher, Rachel told her dads she had to change to go to the after party with her friends and that she was probably spending the night at either Kurt or Santana's house. Her dads were surprised the cast party was only after the first show when they still had Saturday and Sunday's performances but she said Artie suggested Friday instead of Sunday so they wouldn't have to worry about being out late on a school night. Like worrisome parents, they told her to stay safe but left her to her own devices.

As Rachel walked into the girls' dressing room to change, Santana came up to her. "You're going to the party tonight right? You promised us. You can't ditch again."

Rachel laughed. "Yes, I'm going. I just can't stay out too late otherwise my dads will get on my case," she fibbed. She just didn't want to stay out too late and miss some quality time with her man.

The girls finished changing and headed out to meet up with Kurt, Blaine, Artie and some of the other boys. As they all walked down the hall together, chatting gaily about how well they did that night, they passed by Mr. Hudson who was walking in the other direction.

"Hey Mr. Hudson," Artie called to him. Everyone stopped to look at him as he turned around. "Are you going to the party at Breadstix? You're welcome to join since you did save the musical."

Finn swallowed thickly and looked at Rachel who was chewing on her lip. He shook his head. "Nah, I think I'm gonna pass. You guys were great though. Go celebrate." He and Rachel shared another look before he turned around and continued on his way.

Rachel tried to ignore the pull she felt whenever around Finn and followed her friends out to their cars. When they made it to Breadstix some of the crew and chorus members had already arrived and reserved tables for everyone. For a good few hours they just hung out having a good time, held various conversations with each other and Santana in particular made the waiters and waitresses there really earn their paycheck with how often they requested more breadsticks.

"I'm not leaving this place until I have a breadstick baby in my belly. I wants mah 'stix," she explained cattily to Blaine when he asked her if she was planning on leaving the restaurant with any breadsticks for the month.

"How are you not 300 pounds? You're like a garbage disposal," Kurt asked her as she shoved another breadstick into her mouth.

Santana shrugged. "Fast metabolism? Or maybe I just work off a lot of calories from all the sex and cheerleading."

The group laughed and Rachel's phone lit up under the table yet again. Ever since they had arrived, every few minutes Rachel would get a text message. Kurt had been trying to view the conversation discreetly as everyone she usually texted was there and he was suspicious but Rachel was very good at hiding it. He knew it had something to do with her secret beau.

She smiled at her phone and Kurt tried to shift to see what she was writing. In doing so however he managed to knock over a glass of Pepsi getting it all over Rachel's dress. She gasped as the cold hit her and slammed her phone down on the table when she leaped out of her seat. Rachel's mouth was agape as she stared down at her dress which was covered and dripping.

"Kurt!" she shrieked at him. He looked apologetically at her as he started cleaning off the seat and table with napkins.

"I'm sorry, Rachel. I didn't mean-" Before he could further apologize and offer some cleaning tips, Rachel stormed off to the bathroom. Kurt watched her go and felt really bad. He hated whenever food or drink got on his clothes. Of course his were designer while Rachel's tended to be…well, not.

He threw the napkins onto a plate waiting to be cleared and noticed that Rachel's phone was sitting unattended on the table. The commotion now over, Blaine and Santana were back to squabbling over Santana's eating habits and Brittany had gone after Rachel to help her. As no one else around was paying attention to him, Kurt slipped the phone off the table. It was high time he got to the bottom of Rachel's mystery and starting with her text messages would probably be best.

He flipped open the phone and went to her texts. Her entire inbox was practically full with messages from one 'Cowboy'. Being short on time as Rachel would be back eventually, Kurt looked through the last few exchanges of their conversation.

_**Are you almost done?**_

_Patience. I'll be over soon. I can't just leave them again._

_**But I want you. I want to show you how amazing I thought you were tonight. ;)**_

_I want you to show me too. ;) I swear, 10 more minutes and I'll leave._

_**Ok. I love you.**_

Kurt danced a little internally. He wasn't crazy in thinking Rachel had a secret boyfriend and these texts were proof, they were disturbing as clearly Rachel planned on having sexual relations later, but they were proof nonetheless! He was just about to show Blaine and Santana to rub it in their faces that he was right and they were wrong until he saw Rachel walking back to the table. He closed her phone and placed it back where it had been when she left.

"Thanks to Kurt, I think I'm going to get going. I don't want to sit around in a sticky dress. I had a lot of fun. I guess I'll see you all for tomorrow's show. Bye guys!" Rachel grabbed her coat, purse and phone and started for the door. Just as she exited, Kurt hopped to his feet and began pulling Blaine to his.

"What the – Kurt what are you doing?" he asked when his boyfriend shoved his coat into his arms.

"We're following Rachel. Come on."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "You're not still on this are you? Kurt, Rachel isn't hiding anything."

"Then why does she have texts on her phone from a cowboy discussing their plans to fornicate tonight?"

Blaine looked surprised. Santana got out of the booth herself. "Wait, what?"

"Would you just come on? We're going to miss her!"

Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand and dragged him to the exit, Santana and Brittany bringing up the rear. They all clambered into Kurt's SUV and tore out of the parking lot. Though he had lost Rachel's car already, he had a feeling he knew where she was going.

"What do you mean she has texts about having sex? This is Rachel we're talking about," Santana asked as she leaned forward.

Kurt turned right and in the distance saw Rachel's car which was stopped at a red light. He slowed down trying to keep her from noticing his vehicle. "I mean, when she went to the bathroom after I spilled that drink on her, she left her phone on the table. I noticed she had been texting all night and I thought it might have something to do with her big secret. _I was right!_ Rachel has been sneaking around with a guy. That's where she's going to now."

"Kurt, she's probably going home because you spilled Pepsi all over her," Blaine protested in Rachel's defense.

"If she were going home she would have gone in the other direction leaving Breadstix. She's going to see whoever this 'Cowboy' is."

"Rachel's dating a cowboy? Does he have horses?" Brittany asked enthusiastically.

Blaine and Santana just stared at her. "Brit, I'm gonna say 'cowboy' is just a code name," Blaine said to her disappointment.

Brittany was quite displeased with how Rachel had chosen to label her boyfriend. "Why would she call him a cowboy if he isn't though? She should call him 'secret boyfriend' so she can tell when it's him."

Everyone ignored Brittany as they continued to follow Rachel. When they made it to the apartment Rachel had gone into the last time they followed her, they sat quietly waiting for her to come around the corner. She had parked back a ways but had walked in their current direction.

When she entered the building, Kurt quickly got out of the driver's seat and ducked down as he walked to the building.

"Kurt!" Blaine whispered loudly as he got out of the car himself. "What are you doing?"

He turned around to look at his boyfriend who was walking like a normal person behind him. "Would you get down? You're going to blow our cover."

"No, you acting like an insane person will blow your cover. What are you doing?"

"I'm finding out what Rachel is hiding once and for all. Now go back to the car!" Kurt made it to the door and peered into the window. It didn't appear that anyone was around just inside. He opened the door and to his annoyance discovered Blaine was still behind him. He wasn't sure whether to go up the stairs to the left or down the hall to the right.

As he debated, Blaine looked at the mailboxes. His eyes had just landed on F. Hudson when Kurt saw Rachel walk down the hallway the hall to the right led into. Before Blaine could speak, Kurt grabbed his collar and dragged him down the hall to the right. In stealth mode, Kurt crept down the hall and upon reaching where it turned into the next hall, craned his head around the corner.

Rachel had found the note pinned to Finn's door to meet him at the pool. She was intrigued and wondered what Finn had up his sleeve. She practically skipped as she moved down the hallway to the big windows that showed off the lovely design of the indoor pool. It had a tropical rainforest theme and was quite peaceful. She found another note on the door with a key attached to it.

She opened the door and entered the room. Music softly played from her left and she glanced over to see Finn sitting at the table with the prettiest bouquet of roses she had ever seen. Rachel bit her lip and clasped her hands together as she walked over to Finn as he stood.

"These are for you," he said when she got close enough to hand them to her.

"Thank you." She smiled brightly and took the flowers from him. She glanced around her at the humid pool area. "So what are we doing in here tonight? I thought the pool closes at ten?"

Finn smirked. "It does usually, but I kinda bribed the janitor to give me the key for the night. I know you wanted to try the hot tub and I thought it would be relaxing after the stress of a show." He ran his hands up and down her arms.

"I don't have a bathing suit," she replied shyly.

Finn held her chin and leaned down to kiss her. "Neither do I." He quirked his eyebrow at her and she giggled. Rachel put the flowers down and took Finn's hand as they walked over to the hot tub. They kicked their shoes off and Rachel pulled Finn's head down to kiss him as they undressed each other. After he slid Rachel's panties down her legs he picked her up and wrapped her legs around his body to carry her into the hot water. He sat down and they kissed heatedly while Rachel rubbed herself against Finn.

"I love you, Finn," Rachel whined as she sank down on him. He moaned into her mouth as she kissed him and played with the hair at the nape of his neck. She felt very weightless as she rode Finn in the water, gliding back and forth on his swollen cock.

Finn ran his hands up and down her back as his lips moved down her throat to her chest. He kissed between her breasts and she made the cutest little noises in pleasure. Her nails scratched down his back then back up until she held onto his shoulders. Finn lifted his head to kiss Rachel's lips again.

Rachel wasn't going to last much longer. Between being sexually hyped up the last two days, the friction inside her and her clit rubbing deliciously against Finn, she was so close. Her hand slid down Finn's chest before slipping under the water to rub herself but Finn moved her hand back to his shoulder before dipping his between them to find her nub.

Their eyes locked as Rachel continued her motions and let Finn play with her very sensitive clit. Her mouth broke into a smile as she began to orgasm around his cock. Rachel dug her nails into his shoulders and kept moving until she could feel Finn swell and release inside her. Their breathing was heavy as they stared at each other. Finally, Rachel pressed herself into Finn and wrapped her arms around his neck to hold him.

They sat still in the hot tub as the jets made the water swirl around them. Rachel's head was on Finn's shoulder and his head was against hers. "I love you, Rachel." He brushed his hand over her hair and turned to kiss her temple. She lifted her head and kissed him properly.

"I love you too. I loved your hot tub idea but can we maybe go back to your apartment now? I'd like to dry off and cuddle…then have more sex."

Finn chuckled and nodded and Rachel moved off him to sit down as Finn stood up and went to get towels. She couldn't keep her eyes off his ass as he climbed out and walked to grab the ones he had brought with him.

Wrapped up tight, they grabbed their clothes and shoes and ran down the hall to Finn's apartment, giggling the whole time. It was going to be a great sleepover.

Out in Kurt's car, Blaine and Kurt were relaying the tale to Santana and Brittany and trying to find a way to kill the brain cells containing the memory of what they had just witnessed.

_Kurt looked around the corner and found a large set of windows that showed off a very nice looking pool area. Beyond those windows he could see Rachel walking over toward the corner but not much else._

_Blaine whispered into his ear. "Kurt, I think I may know who she's been visiting here."_

_Kurt turned his head to look at his boyfriend. "Who?"_

"_You won't believe it. I think she's been visiting Mr. Hudson. His name is the only one I recognized on the mailboxes."_

_Kurt's eyes widened at the thought until Blaine's mouth fell open and he pointed back at the window. He whipped his head around to see what Blaine was pointing at and saw Rachel leaning up to kiss none other than Mr. Hudson – their English teacher. He wanted to avert his gaze but he couldn't. Rachel was mackin' on their English teacher and really getting into it as it appeared they were beginning to remove clothing._

_Blaine wanted to look away but it was like watching a train wreck. He just couldn't stop staring, especially after Mr. Hudson's boxers came off. The man had a rather impressive package even from the distance they were at. It was only after Mr. Hudson pushed Rachel's panties down that it seemed Kurt could finally tear his eyes away._

"_My eyes!" he cried as he caught sight of his best friend's bare backside. "Blaine, we need to go! We need to go now!" He pushed Blaine to get him to start back down the hallway and once they got moving ran as fast as they could back out to the car._

"I will never be able to unsee Rachel's ass. Every time I close my eyes there it is staring me in the face!" Kurt moaned. "I must say, Mr. Hudson…very nice all around. It seems my daydreams were correct." He looked at Blaine whose eyebrows drew together judgmentally. "What? Like you've never imagined anyone else."

Santana and Brittany were in a state of shock and had yet to say anything until Santana finally cleared her throat. "You're sure it was Rachel and Mr. Hudson? Maybe it was just a woman who looked a lot like Rachel."

Kurt didn't look convinced. "I swear on my life, if it wasn't Rachel I will swear off men forever. Trust me, it was Rachel and it was definitely Mr. Hudson. Blaine even saw his name on the mailbox."

"I'm sorry, this just sounds insane! Rachel and a teacher? She's not dumb; she could get into so much trouble!"

Blaine turned in his seat to look at Santana. "Actually, Mr. Hudson would get in trouble as he's the adult. He could go to prison."

"Rachel's an adult. She's 18 so he wouldn't go to prison. He'd just get fired and never be allowed to teach ever again," Kurt explained.

"So what are we gonna do?" Santana asked with concern for her friend.

Kurt and Blaine just looked at each other, neither knowing what to do.

* * *

><p>Uh oh! Cat's out of the bag now! What ever will happen to our not-so-secret-anymore lovebirds?<p> 


	11. Confrontation

Buckle your seat belts kids. It's about to get bumpy.

* * *

><p>Rachel woke up in bed alone and was rather perturbed to find herself that way. Whenever she spent the night Finn was always there next to her when she fell asleep and then woke up. She loved the feeling of his body pressing against hers, keeping her warm and safe. Plus, usually it led to some hot sex first thing.<p>

She climbed out of bed and found Finn's oversized – on her anyway – McKinley Athletics t-shirt and threw it on. Rachel searched around for her panties but couldn't seem to find them. She ducked down to look under the bed and found them stuffed underneath before she slid under the bed and the door opened.

"Ooh, I love the view," Finn joked as he took in Rachel's bare ass below him before pulling her out from under his bed and lifting her up. She giggled in his arms as he placed her down on the bed and held her hands up next to her head. He smiled down at her as she wiggled a bit under him and giggled more. "I made you some food," he stated before giving her a little kiss and releasing her.

Rachel sat up and noticed the tray of food sitting on Finn's dresser as he walked over to grab it. She made herself comfortable on the bed and let him put it down over her legs. "What's the occasion?"

"Does there need to be an occasion for me to make my beautiful girlfriend breakfast in bed, or lunch since it's so late? I thought you'd appreciate it." He sat next to her and picked up a blueberry from her fruit bowl to pop it in her mouth.

"I do, very much. Thank you." She leaned over and gave Finn a kiss before starting on her cranberry oatmeal.

"So what time do you need to be at the school tonight?"

"I don't need to be to the school until about five but I should go home before to shower and change. I can stay for a little longer though." Finn nodded. "What are your plans for the day?" She popped a spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth.

Finn contemplated the day ahead. "Well, when you're done eating I was planning on taking advantage of the fact that you aren't wearing underwear and then I didn't get beyond those thoughts because well, I didn't really want to." He chuckled as Rachel rolled her eyes. She shoveled in a few more bites of her oatmeal, popped a few berries into her mouth, took a sip of her orange juice then got up to take the tray back out to the kitchen – fending off Finn's attempts to do it for her – before stopping at the bathroom really quickly.

When she sauntered back into the bedroom, Finn was sitting against the wall under the covers waiting for her. She noticed the clock and realized she only had about an hour or so before her fathers would really begin to wonder where she had disappeared to. Finn had apparently worn her out more than she thought since she had slept past noon.

She got onto the bed and crawled forward slowly. "Thank you for breakfast…or lunch. It was delicious." Rachel tugged the blankets down and sat herself in Finn's naked lap. She pulled off his t-shirt she was wearing and pressed her chest against his as she kissed him deeply. He gripped her hips and moved her so she sank down on his member. She slowly rolled her hips, allowing him to slip in and out of her and they both whined a little from the friction.

Finn's hands slid up from her waist to her breasts to caress her smooth skin and play with her pebbled nipples. He kissed her neck and her fingers slid into his hair. She made cute little breathy noises as she came down on him again and his hand slid back down her body to find her clit. He flicked it delicately and she shuddered a little under his touch. "More," she breathed out before nipping at his earlobe. He swirled his thumb around her sensitive nerves and felt her clench tightly. Finn groaned at the feeling and he pushed his hips up to thrust deeper into her.

A few minutes later Rachel was climaxing on top of Finn. Her mouth fell open and she was quite vocal as she rode Finn throughout her orgasm, gripping his head and seizing in his arms. He followed shortly after and both sat there, sweaty and spent as Rachel played with Finn's hair and Finn caressed her back softly.

"I love you," Finn said in a deep, tired voice. He brought his hands up to hold Rachel's face and kissed her lips. She slipped off him and they laid down in the bed together, holding each other as they let their bodies rest again. "Do you want me to come to the show tonight?"

Rachel beamed at him but didn't want to get too overly excited. "Do you want to? You don't have to if you don't want to. You've seen the show and I'm sure you could find something else to do tonight since it's a Satur-" Finn abruptly cut her off with a kiss.

"I love you, Rachel, but sometimes you talk way too much," he said with a small smile as they broke apart. "And I want to. I don't like watching you kiss that Blaine kid but I love hearing you sing and seeing you on stage. You're meant for it, Rachel. You're going to make it on Broadway. You're already a star, someday everyone will know it."

Rachel smiled brightly at him and pulled him in closer for a kiss. When they broke, a tear fell from her eye and Finn wiped it away. "I love you, Finn. I love you so much." She kissed him again and he rolled them over so he was on top of her. Rachel hugged him tighter.

After about another hour of lounging in bed and making each other feel like a million bucks, Rachel had to leave. Finn swore he'd be at her show again that night and Rachel's heart swelled even more. When she got home her fathers were in the living room watching television. They asked about why she was back so late and she told the truth about oversleeping after being up so late the night prior celebrating. She just didn't mention with whom or how she had been celebrating.

Rachel showered and thought about Finn and what life would be like together once school ended. She couldn't wait until they wouldn't have to keep everything so secret and lie to everyone. It made things so difficult and she really wanted to be able to gush to everyone about her amazing boyfriend and how much she loved him. She only had about two more months until they'd be free to open up about their relationship and end the sneaking around and half-truths.

She stepped out of her shower and went about getting ready to go to school to prepare. Rachel said goodbye to her dads and headed out and upon arriving at the school was immediately rounded on by Jacob Ben Israel.

"Rachel! Rachel, I was wondering if I could get some words from you about the musical for my blog. I'm running a story on it that's being posted Monday and you're the only person I haven't been able to talk to."

Rachel glared at him. "As long as you keep your questions about the show I suppose I can answer a few." He beamed at her like she had just agreed to take his virginity. They walked to the girls' dressing room and Jacob managed to keep the interview professional until the end when he tried to walk into the dressing room with her and was chased out by Santana as she beat him with a shoe.

"Keep the fuck out, you perv!" she screeched at him before slamming the door to the room. Santana turned back to Rachel and just shook her head at her.

The girls all continued to run around getting ready for the show but Rachel noticed that Brittany and Santana were both acting a little strangely every time she tried to talk to them. They never looked her in the eye and Brittany seemed to be spouting off weirder thoughts than usual to avoid answering questions. Rachel was about to demand what was up until Artie knocked on the door.

"Second show, ladies! Are you all ready?" The group cheered a little then those who were ready followed him out. Rachel was left alone in the room with Santana as they still had some hair problems and took the opportunity to ask what was up with her and Brittany.

"Santana, is something going on with you and Brittany? You aren't fighting are you?" she asked with concern as she sat down next to her friend.

Santana arched her brow at her. "Brittany and I are fine. We've never been better." She turned back to the mirror and stuck a bobby pin in her hair before grumbling, "It's you we're worried about."

Rachel's brows drew together in confusion before she let out a humorless laugh. "Me? Why would you be worried about me?"

Santana remained silent as she put enough hairspray on her hair to keep it from moving for a month then stood up and crossed her arms over her chest as she stared down at Rachel. "Break a leg tonight, Rachel. Just focus on playing Maria, alright?" She patted her shoulder then walked out of the room.

Rachel could only stare after her a little dumbfounded. Why would they be worried about her then not talk about it? There was nothing to worry about! She was the happiest she had ever been and was only going to get happier once the school year ended.

Deciding to focus her energy on putting on one hell of a performance, Rachel pushed the thoughts from her head and finished her hair. She walked around backstage and found Jacob Ben Israel back there still interviewing people. She should have known he was lying about her being the last one he needed to interview. Then the person he was interviewing shifted and she was able to see who it was.

Rachel's heart beat a little faster when she saw Jacob was speaking to Finn. He looked a little uncomfortable but when he spotted her watching him, his face quickly brightened. Not wanting to seem to anxious to say hello to the show's star, he waited for Jacob to finish his questioning then mulled down the hall like he was just there to make sure things were running smoothly. He and Rachel ended up next to each other both watching the people run around to get ready.

"Nervous?" Finn asked nonchalantly.

"No. This will be cake." They looked at each other and Finn smiled.

"I should probably get to my seat. I only came back here because I was 'checking things out' and now I have. Break a leg."

He touched her shoulder lightly and she couldn't help the words that slipped from her mouth as they made eye contact. "I love you." Realizing what she said they both looked around to see if anyone had heard. Luckily everyone was off in their own little worlds and not paying them much attention. Finn smiled at her again and she could tell he was resisting the urge to lean down and give her a kiss. He said goodbye and left the backstage area to go to his seat.

The show went smoothly again and Rachel and Blaine received another standing ovation and again the cast met with people out in the hall. Again Finn found Rachel but this time it was only some other parents who congratulated her that night as well as Jacob…again. He seemed to be following her around as she made her way back stage to change and go home. Unfortunately the next day there was a matinee as well as the evening performance which meant she couldn't spend the night with Finn. He had said his goodbye in the hall and left her a little sad with Jacob practically panting into her ear.

"You were really great, Rachel. You're going to be great on Broadway."

"Jacob! You aren't a cast member! You shouldn't be back here; now go away!" she yelled at him. He didn't seem to get the hint though. Then Rachel found Kurt by the prop room talking with Blaine, Santana and Brittany. He hadn't even said hello to her that night. "Hey guys! What's going on? Kurt, I didn't even get to say hello to you yet."

He smiled tightly at her. "Hello Rachel." She could swear he shuddered as he looked at her. The whole group seemed on edge as she spoke to them. "Okay, seriously, what is going on with you four? You've all been acting weird all night long."

"Jacob, how many times do I have to tell you to fuck off?" Santana screeched at him as he started creepily smelling Rachel's hair. She shoved him away and threatened to detach his balls from his body if he didn't step off then Kurt dragged Rachel into the prop room and everyone else followed.

"Kurt, what the heck? What is going on?"

"No, no! _You_ tell us what is going on!" Kurt yelled at her earning shushing noises from the rest of the group.

"Kurt, this room isn't exactly soundproof," Blaine chastised. "Calmly. We discussed this."

Kurt took deep breaths and steadied himself. "We know you've been seeing someone and we know who it is."

Rachel looked around at her friends who were all staring at her a little judgmentally. There was no way they could know. She had been careful about everything.

"We know you're having an affair of a sexual nature with Mr. Hudson," Kurt continued making Rachel's world shatter. Her heart pounded fast in her chest and her breathing quickened. This wasn't happening. They couldn't know that. How could they know that? Her first thought was to deny, deny, deny again.

Her breath caught in her throat before she cleared it and weakly tried to cover. "I'm not…I'm not seeing Mr. Hudson. He's my English teacher and that's-"

"Rachel, Kurt and I both saw you with him last night…at the pool…at his apartment. We know," Blaine said quietly.

Rachel could feel tears brimming and she wanted nothing more than to run away and curl into a little ball. But then she realized what he said. "Wait, you followed me?" she asked feeling a little betrayed and upset. "Why would you do that? _How_ could you do that? That is such an invasion of my privacy."

"Oh don't even go there, woman. I had every right."

"What?" she practically shrieked at Kurt. "What makes you think you have the right to follow me and spy on me? What I do in my life is none of your business, Kurt!"

"Rachel, you are fucking a teacher! Do not even go there with what's right and wrong!" Kurt yelled back. Blaine and Santana were trying to get them to keep their voices down but neither seemed to care at the moment.

"I am an adult and Finn and I love each other! There is nothing wrong with that!"

"Oh there's nothing wrong with a twenty-something year old teacher fucking his teenaged student? You don't see anything wrong with that picture?"

"I am 18, Kurt. I am legally an adult. There is nothing wrong with it."

Kurt shook his head in disbelief at Rachel. "And what if you weren't? What if you were 16 or 15 or younger? There's so very much wrong with this, Rachel!"

"Finn loves me. It has nothing to do with age. It doesn't matter what age either of us are because what we have is greater than that. He loves me and I love him and I know it might be hard for you to understand that but it's true."

"You think he'll still love you when he finds someone younger?"

Rachel had had enough. Without really thinking she slapped Kurt across the face shocking her friends and herself. He reeled back clutching his cheek and looked at her. "Who are you anymore?" he asked her as she stared, mouth agape at her best friend.

The tears really started to fall now. "Kurt, I am so sorry. Please, I'm sorry." She tried to move closer to him but he stepped back. "Kurt, I know how it looks but I love him and we're going to start a life together and I need you to understand that this isn't just some fling and he's not just with me because I'm in high school or anything. He really loves me. He's going to go with me to New York and we're going to be together."

"Do you hear yourself Rachel? You sound like a delusional little girl."

"Please, Kurt, you can't tell anyone about this…none of you can. I don't care if you all hate me now or think less of me and want nothing to do with me anymore. You just can't tell anyone, please. He'll lose his job if you do and he won't be allowed to teach anymore."

"It would serve him right if he did," Kurt grumbled as he stared at Rachel. She looked so broken and devastated as the tears streamed down her face. He didn't agree with her decisions and he still felt she was acting like a child about the whole situation but she was 18 and was an adult. Mr. Hudson was wrong but it wasn't illegal. Kurt sighed as he rubbed his face. "I can't condone what you're doing and honestly, I'm disappointed in you…" Rachel started crying harder, "but I won't tell anyone." He looked around at the group and they all agreed to keep quiet as well. "I think you really need to take a long, hard look at your life and your choices, Rachel." That was all Kurt said as he brushed past Rachel. Blaine looked at her sympathetically and followed Kurt out the door.

"Rachel, I don't hate you. I think you're being a little naïve but…"

"I'm not naïve, he loves me and what we have is real."

"I know you think that-"

"I don't think it, I know it!" she cut Santana off harshly as she wiped the tears from her face. "I know none of you get it and how it may look, but I know how I feel and I know how Finn feels and that is more important to me than labels and societal taboos. So thank you for not saying anything to anyone. I'm going now." Rachel walked out of the prop room leaving Brittany and Santana alone looking after her.

Rachel made it out to her car and was crying so hard she couldn't even see. There was no way she could drive home that way and if her fathers saw her, they'd ask too many questions. Figuring the old adage, "Better to beg forgiveness than ask permission", Rachel called the one person who could make her feel better.

Finn opened the passenger door of her car less than ten minutes later and she threw herself into his embrace without a word. She kissed him and they could taste her tears on her lips as they meshed together. He wrapped his hands around her body and lifted her out of her seat to put her in his lap. All they did was kiss as they sat in Rachel's passenger seat but the contact and love she could feel coming from him was making everything better. When they needed air, Rachel took in quick shallow breaths as she tried to calm down more.

He ran his hands through her hair and wiped away her tears. "Baby, what's wrong? What happened?" he asked sweetly, quietly, trying to coax her into a less pained state.

She just shook her head and hugged him tighter. "Can I spend the night with you? I don't want to go home and I just really need you right now."

Finn nodded. "Yeah, of course. What about your shows tomorrow though?"

"I don't care. I don't. Santana can play Maria."

Now Finn was really worried. Maria was Rachel's part and she had only been talking about it ever since _West Side Story_ had been suggested for the musical. For her to not care about the musical or her part…there was something seriously wrong. "Rachel, you're kind of scaring me. What's going on?"

She lifted her head and looked at him through her tears. "Can we please just go? I want to go."

Finn swallowed thickly and nodded his head again. "Okay, we'll go. Grab your stuff. You can get your car tomorrow." Rachel maneuvered out of his arms and he got out of the car as Rachel grabbed her bag. He held her against him as they walked to his truck and he kissed the top of her head as no one was around to see their embraces.

The drive back to his apartment was silent save for the sniffles from Rachel every so often. Finn kept glancing over at her, concern all over his face. He took her hand in his and she squeezed it tightly as she stared out the window. When they arrived at his apartment, as soon as the door was shut she was pulling at his clothes and leading him to his bedroom.

They crashed onto his bed and she kissed him harder before pulling her own shirt off and trying to undo his jeans. He held her hands though and shifted so he could sit up. He needed to find out what was going on. "Rachel, baby, you need to talk to me. I can't help you if you won't talk to me."

"I don't want to talk. I want to make love," she tried kissing him again but he held her back.

"Rachel. Please, just two minutes of talking and I promise we can do whatever you want after that. Please?"

She looked like she wanted to start crying again but held herself together as she pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her body. "I messed up," she squeaked out.

"During the musical? Baby, you were flawless."

"No, not during the musical." She wiped her eyes and stared at her feet. "I know I did great during the musical. I messed up somewhere with us."

Finn was really confused. "Rach, we're fine. We're better than fine."

"Kurt, Blaine, Santana and Brittany all know about us," she blurted out before Finn could say anything else. His eyes widened and he stopped breathing as Rachel looked up to gauge his reaction. "I don't know how I missed it but last night, Kurt and Blaine followed me here and they saw us together at the pool. Then they told Brittany and Santana about it." Finn was silent as he stared in horror at the floor. "They confronted me about it today and they were trying to tell me that I'm naïve and that you're using me basically and will leave me but they're wrong. You love me. Right? You love me?"

Finn turned to Rachel and could feel himself breaking at Rachel's sad expression. He tugged her into his lap and hugged her tightly. "I love you more than anything, Rachel. If I didn't I wouldn't be here with you now. I love you."

"I love you too." She looked up at Finn. "They swore they wouldn't tell anyone. They promised me. No one will find out, I promise."

"It's okay, Rachel. We'll get through this. Don't worry." He stroked her hair and pulled her in for a kiss before they fell back onto the bed and picked up where they left off.

They made love passionately and fervidly and Finn held Rachel in his arms as she drifted off to sleep, exhausted from the emotional day she had. As he stared at her beautiful face, he couldn't help but think about how messed up things were now. Everything would change now that Rachel's friends knew about them. They could give all the assurances in the world that they wouldn't tell anyone but somehow, he knew this would get out. He had to fix this and fast before word could get around that he was in a very intimate romantic relationship with a student.

The only solution to save them both was to quit and Monday he would do just that.


	12. The Last Show

No matter what Finn tried, the next morning when Rachel needed to get up and ready to go to school for her last day of _West Side Story_, she wouldn't budge from the bed. Though she was tiny, she was strong and he would never admit it to anyone but when she kicked his stomach and elbowed his chest when he tried to lift her out of bed, it rather hurt.

He tried luring her with vegan chocolate chip cookies he kept for her, he sang to her in an effort to improve her mood, he even tried bribing her with sex but she had a willpower unknown to Little Finn. When he even swore he'd never sleep with her again and break up with her if she didn't get a move on all she did was remove the blanket from over her head and give him a 'yeah right' stare, calling his bluff, until he resigned then pulled the blanket back over her head. Finn was growing desperate and it was getting closer and closer to show time.

Fortunately, about an hour and a half before the matinee, a knock on the door pulled Finn from his attempts to draw his tiny but determined girlfriend from his bed. He looked through the peephole and was genuinely surprised by the person on the other side of his door. "Santana? What are you do-"

"Blaine told me which apartment was yours and since Rachel isn't answering her phone, her dads are flipping wondering where she is and her car is at school but she isn't, I figured she'd be here crying to you about our confrontation last night."

"Come in," Finn said as he opened the door wider to allow her entry. "She refuses to get out of bed. I've tried everything. She hasn't even gotten out to use the bathroom and when I tried to yank her out she kicked me."

Santana smirked at him. "Well, unlike you I don't have to worry about my actions meaning no sex for a while so do you mind if I try talking to her?"

Finn blushed a little as he nodded his head and led her to his bedroom. It was weird having another student know about his relationship with Rachel and discussing it with him.

Without warning, Santana ripped the comforter off Rachel and started yelling at her in Spanish. Rachel laid stunned before trying to cover herself back up as she was cold in only her underwear and Finn's t-shirt while Santana roared at her loudly, pacing back and forth across the floor. When the rant ended, Santana took a deep breath and placed her hands on her hips. "Comprendé?"

Rachel shook her head no. "I only caught 'Maria' and 'school'.

"Then let me translate for you," Santana growled in Rachel's face menacingly. "This is our last day of our last show ever at school. You are our Maria and you are not giving that up so you can throw yourself a pity party because Kurt is mad at you. You are going to get your skinny ass up and in the shower then we're going to school so you can get ready to sing your little heart out and cry about Tony, got it? I don't have time for your drama queen bullshit today. We have less than two hours to curtain. Now, get up." Santana pulled at Rachel's legs in an effort to drag her from bed, but Rachel kicked at her yelling until she finally stopped.

"I'm not going! You can be Maria. There you go; you go the lead you wanted!"

Santana groaned in frustration. "I don't want the lead that way. I want to earn it because I'm better than you, not because you're acting like a child and giving it to me. Now get up! We can't do the show without you!"

Rachel only stared at her before turning in the other direction and curling into a ball. Santana softened and sighed as she sat down next to Rachel, brushing her fingers through her hair. "Heart attack or heartbreak, remember?"

Sensing what Santana was getting at and backing her up, Finn sat on Rachel's other side. "Yeah, yeah, what's that saying? 'The show's gotta go all over the place' or something?" he contributed making both Rachel and Santana chuckle. Rachel sniffled as she had begun crying and sat up rubbing her eyes.

"I think you mean 'The show must go on'," Rachel corrected as she hugged her legs to her chest and placed her chin on her knees. "How am I supposed to face everyone? They're all so disappointed in me and I'm disappointed in myself." She noticed Finn's face fall and instantly felt bad as she realized he thought she was talking about him. "Finn, no, I didn't mean…I slapped Kurt last night and I feel so horrible for it. I'm not disappointed in anything about us and I don't regret us or you. I love you, Finn, and nothing will change that." She held his hand in hers and kissed the back of it making him smile before leaning closer to give him a proper kiss.

Santana cleared her throat and stood up. "Well, this is awkward." Finn pulled out of the kiss remembering their company. "Look, Kurt's mostly just pissed because you kept your boyfriend from him and to be honest, it's really unlike you to have a teacher as a boyfriend while you are his student. You're always such a goody-two-shoes and it kinda freaked us all out a little. Between you and me, I think he's jealous. You remember how much of a hard-on Kurt had for Mr. Hudson before Blaine came into the picture. So don't worry about Lady Face. You're a diva and you always are on about how a diva has to express her emotions or whatever, so put on your costume and channel those emotions into Maria. You're upset because your dirty little secret got out and you slapped Kurt, use it toward when Anita wants to bitch slap some sense into Maria for being with Tony or when Tony dies. Don't waste your anger and frustration and sorrow wallowing in bed. Get up and do something about it."

Rachel looked at Finn who shrugged then back at Santana. She was absolutely right. Rachel had felt horrible lying in bed all day thinking about how she'd let everyone down by not showing up but at the same time being too afraid to face Kurt to leave. The reminder that she was a diva who needed to express herself seemed to be the kick in the pants she needed. She couldn't let her personal life and feelings get in the way of putting on a good show. Drama waits for no one and the show must go on.

Suddenly determined, Rachel climbed out of bed. "You're right. I'd just feel even worse if I let everyone down by not showing up and maybe I can talk to Kurt after the show and apologize and we can talk this out. I need to make him see that what Finn and I have is real. I love him and he loves me." Rachel grabbed her clothes off of Finn's dresser and headed toward the door. "I'll be out in fifteen minutes."

Thirty minutes later, Santana was about ready to drag Rachel by the hair out of Finn's apartment. They had spent the better part of five minutes saying goodbye by sucking face and giggling to themselves. Santana stood by the door getting her hopes up every time they finished kissing only to deflate and roll her eyes when one of them would go back in for more. She felt a little disgusted being forced to watch the whole thing but she had to admit that Rachel looked really happy with Finn. Even when she had been at her best with Jesse, she had never looked that chipper.

"Oh my God, can we please go? By the time we get to school we will have less than 40 minutes to get you ready for the show," Santana grumbled as she finally got fed up and stormed over to Rachel to rip her away from their English teacher. "You two can mack on your own time."

"Santana, that's so rude," Rachel chastised.

"What's rude is making me sit and watch that. We're going. Goodbye Mr. Hudson." Santana opened the door and shoved Rachel out through it.

"Bye Finn!" Rachel called, waving before Santana started pulling her down the hallway. Finn stood at the door waving until they couldn't see each other anymore.

When Rachel and Santana arrived at school, everyone was in a tizzy over their whereabouts. Artie had begun ramming his chair against the wall in worry, Kurt started talking in decibels only dogs could hear while Blaine tried to calm him down and Brittany kept making animal noises to calm her nerves. When the girls showed their faces backstage, everyone started rounding on them until Santana got them to shut and focus and worry about getting ready for the show. Rachel did her vocal warm-ups while Santana and Brittany worked on her hair and make-up and miraculously the show started on time and no one was any the wiser to the drama backstage.

When they broke for dinner after their matinee, Rachel attempted to speak to Kurt. She found him and Blaine about to exit toward the parking lot and ran to catch up with him. "Kurt!" she yelled when she got close enough. "Kurt, wait! Please!"

Kurt tried to continue on his way but Blaine stopped him and had a quiet argument to get his pigheaded boyfriend to turn around and talk to Rachel. "What?" he replied tersely when he couldn't escape the tension.

"I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to slap you and I feel really horrible about it." She paused to see if he'd respond but when he didn't, continued. "I know it may seem wrong to you but I know what I feel and what he feels and that's more important to me than labels and what society says. He loves me for me, not because of my age or power he could hold over me or anything like that. Even if everything were different, I truly believe we would have found each other. Believe me, I wish we could have met under less stressful circumstances."

Kurt stepped closer to Rachel and spoke quietly. "Is that what you tell yourself so you can sleep at night after _Finn_ takes advantage of you?" He practically sneered at her.

"Don't, Kurt. I'm being honest with you finally and now you're throwing it in my face." Rachel could feel the tears building but fought to keep them from falling. "I'm not a child, I'm 18 years old and I'm more than capable of making my own decisions. Finn isn't even the one who started this, I did. I went after him. He isn't manipulating me or using me; he actually tried to stop us from going there."

Kurt smiled mockingly. "Oh, how noble of him," he replied sarcastically. "We should give him a medal for _trying_ to stop himself from fucking his student. He sounds like a great guy, Rachel."

"He _is_ a great guy, Kurt." She crossed her arms over her chest. "What if I had met him in New York? Would you still hate me for dating him?"

"No because he wouldn't be your _high school_ English teacher."

"Why are you so hung up on that part? Who cares? We are out of here in two months and then he won't be my teacher anymore and it's not like he's ever played favorites with me. I don't get better grades from him just because we're dating."

Kurt shook his head. "Why don't you get how wrong it is?"

"Why don't you get that Finn and I love each other? I would think you'd trust me when I said I love someone."

"Yeah because the last time it worked out _so_ well for you," he scoffed.

"How would you feel if I tried to tell you how you should feel about Blaine? That it was wrong for you to be with him because next year you'll be in college and he'll still be in high school? That's basically what you're trying to tell me."

"This is totally different!"

"No! It's not!"

"Yes it is. Continuing to date my boyfriend I've been with for nearly a year after high school won't land me on _To Catch A Predator_!"

Ignoring his jibe, Rachel got to her biggest point. "Look, I love you Kurt. You're my best friend and I hope you can find it in you to forgive me for everything you think I'm doing wrong, but I won't end my relationship with Finn. I would never ask you to end a relationship if you were the happiest you had ever been and could see a future with them and felt you'd found your soulmate so I'm just asking you to show me the same courtesy. So until you can forgive me, if you ever can, I'll leave you alone if that's what you want."

Kurt didn't say anything and continued to stare down his nose at her. The tears were beginning to brim over at his silence and she took that as a confirmation that she wouldn't be forgiven anytime soon. She looked over at Blaine who had been silent and standing against the wall patiently the entire time. He didn't say anything but gave her a small sympathetic smirk and shrug. Rachel nodded in understanding and said goodbye before exiting the building to go to her car.

A few minutes later she was back at Finn's, solemnly entering and sitting on his couch. Finn sat next to her waiting for her to speak first. Instead of saying anything, Rachel looked up at him with her glistening eyes and leaned forward to kiss him.

Rachel placed her hand on Finn's cheek and deepened their kiss before crawling into his lap. She sucked on his bottom lip as her hands slid down his chest to find the hem of his t-shirt. He lifted his arms so she could pull the shirt off his body and he unzipped her costume she had worn out of the school.

Finn held Rachel's body against his as he shifted on the couch to lay her down. She pushed at her panties and he helped take them off her body before taking his own pants off. He settled between her legs and kissed above the cups of her bra and up to her collarbone while her hand snaked between them to caress his length to get him hard. She grew wet with the anticipation of making love to the one person she felt was truly on her side and would never judge her.

Once he was sufficiently hard, Finn teased Rachel's entrance, making her whine, before pushing inside her. Her heat clenched around him and he moaned at the feeling of being wrapped within her. His lips found hers once more and their tongues pressed against each other as Finn began moving in and out of her.

With each thrust they felt closer and Rachel's mood began rapidly improving. Whenever she was intimate with Finn, be it physically, emotionally or both, Rachel felt safe and loved. He provided comfort no one else could and when they made love like this, it wasn't about the sexual act so much as the sensation of coming into that happiness not found anywhere else.

Rachel wrapped her arms around Finn's body and held him close as he assaulted her jaw and neck with kisses and pushed into her. Her thighs hugged his hips as her feet dug into the backs of his legs and she quivered when his fingers found her swollen nub and began to swirl around it. She whined when he lightly swiped over her clit and thrust into her again. It was mere minutes later that she was falling apart and digging her nails and heels into his body deeper.

As her orgasm died down, a warm and pleasant sensation spread throughout Rachel's body. When she felt Finn swell inside of her and heard his little moans, she smiled to herself knowing he had come as well and the connection seemed to increase as he slowed his movements and picked his head up to look at her.

They held each other's gaze while Rachel played with Finn's messy hair and he held Rachel's side and smoothed circles over her tummy with his thumb. Their breathing was heavy and slow while their bodies came down from their highs and once Finn was soft again, he slipped out of Rachel and gently rest his body on hers, laying his head on her chest to hear the quick beats of her heart.

"I'm quitting my job," Finn announced against Rachel's chest. He looked up and saw her eyebrows drawn together in confusion. "Tomorrow I'm going to tell Figgins I quit. I'm sick of all the secrecy and worrying about getting caught and I'm quitting in May anyway so…I'm quitting tomorrow."

Rachel ran her fingers through Finn's hair and played with the nape of his neck. "Are you sure? What are you going to do for the next two months?"

Finn shrugged. "I'll get a jump start on finding a job and an apartment in New York. I have enough saved up to last me until the fall…if I eat Ramen noodles and mac and cheese anyway."

"You don't need to do this."

"But I want to. It's better if I leave now before I can get in trouble. Then we can be together."

Rachel wrestled with how she felt about this. She wanted to be with Finn without complication but she didn't want him to give up his job with only two months left just for her. He was already giving up so much to go to New York with her. In the end she decided not to try and sway his choice since it was his to make. "I'd like that." Rachel pulled Finn's face to hers to kiss him again. When they broke she saw the time on his cable box. "I should go. I need to get some dinner and go back to school; last show at McKinley."

Finn sat up and watched Rachel grab her clothes and leave to clean up. He pulled his own clothes back on and went to the kitchen to make some dinner for Rachel to take with her to school. Rachel thanked him for the vegan grilled cheese and tomato soup and reluctantly left him. When she got to school, Rachel sat alone in the back of the auditorium to avoid running into anyone. Though she felt much better after venting some frustration through performing and visiting Finn, she was still upset and worried about how things had been left with Kurt. Santana and Brittany weren't treating her much differently now that the shock was gone and Rachel had a feeling Blaine was rather indifferent but due to Kurt's influence was avoiding her and not discussing anything more than the show when speaking became a necessity.

After the dinner break and a quick meeting about how well everyone had done thus far and congratulations to all parties involved in the musical, their final show began and went just as smoothly as the others, a first in Rachel's four years at McKinley. When it was finally over, Rachel opted out of meeting people out in the hallway and went about getting ready to go home. Her fathers were going to be furious with her for not coming home last night and then only sending a text letting them know she was at school all day. Before she could make it inside the girls' dressing room however, she found the last person she wanted to see skulking around outside the door.

"Hello Rachel," Jacob greeted her as she tried to get past him. He placed his arm out blocking her entry. "You were lovely again. I brought you some more flowers." He pulled some daisies out from behind his back and handed them to her. "You know what I think we should do?"

Rachel made a face and touched the flowers with the smallest amount of skin possible. "Go our separate ways and never speak again?" she asked too hopeful.

He stepped forward practically breathing on her. "We should go on a date this Friday."

Rachel started laughing at him but Jacob remained quite serious. "What in the world makes you think I'd want to go on a date with you? I do not like you, Jacob. Never have, never will. Now please move out of the way so I can get changed and go home, I'm quite tired."

Jacob put his hand on Rachel's arm to stop her from moving and she twisted away from him. "Let me put it this way. We will be going on a date this Friday otherwise Mr. Hudson will be looking for a new job. Maybe he'll even have to endure a long and drawn out lawsuit where everyone will find out he likes to prey upon young and impressionable girls. That would really suck for your boyfriend and you."

Rachel's blood froze and her heart stopped as what Jacob was saying sank in. He knew, she didn't know how, but he knew. There was no way he could prove it though. She had to play aloof and pretend she had no idea what he was talking about.

"Jacob, I'm not sure what hallucinogenic drugs you have been taking but Mr. Hudson and I are nothing more than a teacher and student." She pushed past him finally and was about to slam the door in his face until his next words stopped her dead in her tracks.

"So then how do you explain these pictures of the two of you kissing in your car?"

She ripped the door open further and despite the heavy stage make-up on her face, paled at the sight of Jacob waving his phone in her face. Rachel tried to remain calm. He could have been bluffing.

"See, I was waiting for my mom to pick me up from the school after the show last night but she forgot about me again so I started walking home until I saw you were in your car alone crying. I was about to go see if you were alright until a truck pulled up a few spots away and I saw it was Mr. Hudson. I hid behind a tree and saw him get in your car. Then you kissed him and I got these." Jacob held up the phone for her to see the picture of her kissing Finn in the front seat of her car. He flicked through the photos on his phone and showed her a succession of more of the same.

Her resolve was breaking. The biggest gossip in the school with the blog everyone read had picture proof of her relationship with a teacher at McKinley and could and would use it against her. She was stuck with no way out. Until she remembered that Finn was quitting the next day. Once he quit this would become a non-issue. She just had to play along for now to make Jacob think he had the upper hand.

"What do you want?" she asked dejectedly.

"A date. Friday. Breadstix at seven or the story about McKinley's little diva and the pervert English teacher goes wide."

"Don't you think it's a little pathetic to use blackmail to get a date?" Rachel questioned trying to possibly worm her way out of this.

"Probably, but if it means I get a date with you, I don't really care." He hugged Rachel awkwardly and pulled away with a huge smile on his face. "I'll see you at school tomorrow, my love." He backed away from the door and just as Rachel was about to close it he stuck his foot out to keep it from shutting. "And one more thing…as an added measure to make sure you show up…if you even think of backing out, the story and pics won't just go on my blog. I'll send them to Figgins and your dads. I'm sure they'd love to know what their little songbird has been up to with a faculty member lately." He smiled at her again. "See you tomorrow."

Jacob left the backstage area just as everyone else began streaming in. Rachel swallowed thickly as she walked over to the make-up table, heart heavy and worry coursing through her, to begin removing her heavy make-up. Though Finn was quitting the next day, Jacob still had proof and could expose them before he was able. She had to play her cards right for both their sakes if she didn't want everything to blow up in their faces.

Rachel prayed that Jacob wouldn't get trigger happy and release the pictures before Finn was no longer her teacher.


	13. Two Weeks Too Long

Finn nervously awaited Figgins' arrival to the school the next day as he sat in the waiting room to his office with his aging assistant who always flirted with him. He held his head in his hands to avoid looking at her and having to endure her stares which made him feel like she was undressing him with her eyes.

"Good mor – Mr. Hudson, what are you doing here?" Figgins announced as he entered the room.

Finn hopped to his feet and avoided Figgins' assistant's gaze. "I need to have a word with you, sir."

"Alright. Come in." Figgins unlocked his office door and entered the room, Finn following behind him. Figgins sat in his chair and motioned for Finn to sit in the seat across. "What is so important you are here thirty minutes before everyone else?"

Finn honestly wasn't sure what the proper etiquette was for quitting so abruptly. He had always given two weeks' notice for his various crap jobs throughout high school and college. So he just spit it out. "Sir, I'm quitting."

Figgins seemed confused. "Quitting what?"

"M-my job. I need to leave McKinley. Today has to be my last day."

"For what purpose? We are little over two months away from the end of the year. Can't you wait until it's over to quit?"

He felt horrible doing this but it was the right thing to do by his relationship with Rachel. "Sir, I know it is horrible timing but I have to leave now. It can't wait any longer."

"Can I at least know why you want to quit two months before the school year is over?" Figgins questioned. He folded his hands and placed them in his lap as he stared Finn down.

"I can't really disclose that information right now. I need to leave for personal reasons."

Figgins ran his hand over his face. "You're not having a nervous breakdown are you?" Finn shook his head no and Figgins looked relieved at that. "Mr. Hudson, this leaves me in a bind. You want me to replace you with another teacher for the remaining nine weeks of the semester after a single day's notice? The students will be at a disadvantage if I have to do that. Is there any way at all I can convince you to stay through the end of the semester?" Finn was about to apologize again until Figgins understood he was going to say no. "Can I at least convince you to give two weeks' notice? It would give me enough time to find a permanent replacement for you if you must leave."

Finn felt stuck. He really hated having to give Figgins such a short amount of notice but two weeks could be an eternity with Rachel's friends knowing about their relationship. His boss was practically pleading with him by his stare and when Finn thought about it, he couldn't leave his students that suddenly. He owed it to them to at least ease them out of his teaching and into someone else's. Guilt ridden, Finn caved.

"I suppose it can wait two weeks, I really can't stay any longer than that."

Figgins smiled and pulled some folders out of his desk drawer. "I'm sorry to see you go, Finn. The students really liked you. I'm sure you will be missed."

"I'll miss them too but…there's something even more important to me that I have to take care of at this point in my life." Figgins simply nodded at him before wishing him a good day and good luck in his future pursuits.

Finn exited his soon to be ex-boss' office feeling mostly relieved. He and Rachel only had to survive two weeks before they could finally end all the hiding and pretending and finally be together. As the thoughts of Rachel flooded his mind, he dug his phone out of his pocket and shot her a text asking if she could come over for dinner that night. He got a simple _yes_ a few minutes later and smiled to himself.

All day long, Finn's heart broke a little with each class he had to explain his leaving to. Multiple kids asked why he was leaving and some begged him to stay. Many of the girls even looked like they wanted to cry. When he got to Rachel's class and broke the news, he caught Kurt glance at Rachel before looking back at him stone faced. Finn knew how important Kurt was to Rachel and he hoped that maybe now that he was quitting they could resolve their issues and stop fighting about him. He never meant to be a point of contention for them.

Class went by quickly as they watched The Simpsons episode where they did Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" to emphasize the poem. Poetry wasn't exactly Finn's favorite part of teaching English but he liked using Poe if it meant he could watch some Simpsons. When class ended he and Rachel shared a look and a small smile as she exited the classroom.

As she walked to her next class alone, she saw Kurt at Blaine's locker laughing with him. Before everything blew up in her face she would have been sharing in the moment with them. She passed by and saw Kurt's eyes flicker her way before he turned so she wouldn't even be in his periphery. Her heart ached and she wanted to cry. It wasn't fair that Kurt was treating her so horribly for something she couldn't entirely control. You can't help who you fall in love with, it just happens, and Kurt was punishing her for that love.

"Chin up, chica. He'll come around eventually," Santana whispered in her ear as she and Brittany fell in step beside her. "It's just Kurt's time of the month."

"He hates me."

Brittany and Santana shared a look over Rachel's head before Brittany grabbed Rachel's arm and began dragging her in the opposite direction.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Rachel shrieked a little loudly at how abruptly she had been forced in the other direction.

"We need to cheer you up because I'm sick of seeing you mope around. I think a little retail therapy is in order for the afternoon," Santana supplied as they started down the stairs.

Rachel was aghast at what was happening to her. "Santana, we can't just skip class!" she yelled at her in a loud whisper, looking around to make sure no teachers were around.

Santana groaned at her. "Lighten up, Berry. You have bird classes for your last few periods. Use the lack of communication between faculty and staff members here to your advantage for once and just say you went to the nurse. No one will even bother checking. I do it all the time." Brittany nodded in agreement.

Knowing Santana, fighting would be in vain, especially with Brittany backing her up. She let them pull her out of the school and made their way to Santana's car.

"Fine, we can go shopping but we have to be done by 3:30 since I have plans," Rachel announced as she got in the backseat of the car.

"Ooh, what kind of plans?" Brittany asked excitedly, turning in her seat to look at Rachel.

Santana looked at her in the mirror. "I bet they're plans that would require some sexy new lingerie." She winked at her while Rachel turned a little red.

"Ooh, I like the sound of those plans. Maybe while we're there they'll finally tell us Victoria's secret. Who is Victoria and like, what is she even hiding?" Brittany asked wonderingly.

Ignoring her friend's usual unique intelligence, Rachel protested. "Guys, I don't need lingerie. I don't plan on buying anything really. I'm only here because you forced me."

"Oh come on, Munchkin, you're finally getting some on a regular basis and based on the way you were sucking Gigantor's tonsils out yesterday, I'd say you're finally enjoying it. Why not dress up a little bit? Britt loves when I leave the mall with a little pink bag with an even smaller surprise inside of it."

Brittany nodded vigorously as she grinned brightly. "Santana has a point, Rach."

Partially against her will, Rachel allowed her friends to escort her to Victoria's Secret. It wouldn't be the first time Rachel had bought lingerie just to make Finn drool but it was the first time she had been accompanied by her friends and it was a little strange. They threw bras at her left and right until they had a pile that Santana offered to pay for as a welcome to the world of great sex. She remembered how awful Rachel described her few times with Jesse and was happy that her friend had finally accessed her love button.

Then with their remaining time, the girls got mani-pedis and begged Rachel for some dirty details.

"I'm not discussing it with you for the last time! The only reason I discussed Jesse with you was because I wasn't sure we were doing it right. With Finn, I _know_ we are." Rachel leaned her head back and stifled a giggle as the nail tech scrubbed the bottoms of her feet.

"How did you two even end up together? It's not exactly a conventional pairing…more like a porno pairing."

Rachel huffed and was about to cross her arms over her chest before she remembered her nails were still drying. "I'm not telling you that either."

"Rachel…" Santana and Brittany stared her down until she gave in.

"Fine, I will tell you that and only that." Santana and Brittany perked up in their seats as Rachel explained. "You know how I keep my dream notebook right?" They both nodded. "Well, I somehow accidentally turned in a particularly," Rachel lowered her voice, "erotic sex dream I had about Finn with my short story based on a dream we had to write. He obviously read it and then gave me detention so we could talk about it."

"Oh my God, _that_ was the day you guys started hooking up?" Santana asked, remembering how pissed Rachel had been that Mr. Hudson had given her detention for being late to class and forgetting her homework.

"Do you want me to tell the story?" Rachel looked at her, waiting impatiently. She zipped her mouth and waved for her to continue. "Anyway, of course I was beyond embarrassed that he'd seen my fantasy about him. I never meant for it to happen. He started trying to tell me I shouldn't have those feelings about him and let it slip that he had the same kind of feelings for me. I don't know what took over me. I saw an opening and I took it. Basically I pounced on him in his classroom and we've been together since."

"Holy shit, Rachel! You fucked him in his classroom?" Santana yelled, startling the other patrons and employees. Rachel and Brittany hushed her quickly and she realized her mistake. "Jesus Rachel. Don't you know how stupid that is?"

"We didn't get caught. We've only been together in there a few times." She instantly regretted revealing that bit of information.

Santana could only shake her head at her while a huge smirk crossed her face. "I'll be damned. Who know an adventurous, kinky sex kitten was hidden under those tights?" They went silent for a few minutes until Santana thought of something. "You're the reason he's leaving, aren't you?"

"I did tell you he's moving to New York with me. He's worried that now that you know about our relationship word will get out so he's leaving early to avoid complications."

Santana looked offended. "We won't tell anyone. Do you honestly think we would?"

"No, Santana, no. I know you wouldn't and I assured him you wouldn't but it's just a precautionary measure. Honestly, it's probably a good thing. Jacob Ben Israel found out."

"What?" she shrilled at this piece of news. "I will kick his ass for you, Rach. He's had it coming for a long time really."

"No, you can't Santana!" She lowered her voice more and leaned over the arm rest of her massage chair. "He has pictures of Finn and I together, very compromising pictures, and he will use them if I don't do what he says. Finn could lose everything if people found out."

"Rachel, you can't just let him blackmail you!" Santana was becoming enraged and Rachel could see a plot to remove Jacob's testicles from his body forming in her eyes.

"I'm just going to do what he says until Finn is officially no longer employed at McKinley. Then it won't matter. He can take all the pictures he wants of Finn and me kissing because he won't be my teacher anymore. It's two weeks. Please, Santana, don't draw attention to this or do anything to upset him. We're nearly home free. Promise me."

Santana's jaw was set and Rachel knew she wanted to do very bad things to Jacob but thankfully Santana agreed to lay low and act as if nothing had changed. "What exactly does he want you to do?"

"I have to go on a date with him on Friday. It's going to be absolutely horrid but after that I'll just have to suffer through one more week."

"How's Finn feel about this?"

"I haven't told him and I'm not going to. He'll just get upset and it's really not a big deal. I'll put up with Jacob for two weeks then move on from this atrocity."

"Well, good luck. I swear though, if he tries anything with you, I don't care, his balls are coming off. That thing shouldn't procreate anyway so I'd be doing the world a favor." They chuckled lightly until Rachel noticed something.

"It's been a while since Brittany's contributed to the conversation." They both looked over to see Brittany reclining in her massage chair enjoying an afternoon nap while her toenails dried. They both started laughing louder and she jolted awake.

"Lord Tubbington, don't eat the rainbow!" she yelled out before looking around to see they were still in the salon. She wiped some drool from her mouth and sat up. "Are we done?" The girls laughed again as they finished with their pedicures.

It was a little closer to four than Rachel had wanted by the time she arrived at Finn's but it had taken nearly 20 minutes for her to decide which bra and panty set she wanted to try out on Finn first. She knew what red and black lace did to him already so she thought maybe she'd switch things up a little from the norm.

Finn opened the door after three knocks and was about to jokingly berate Rachel for being late but the words died on his lips as he took in her attire. His pants instantly got tighter as he stared at Rachel wearing only a small midnight blue teddy under her pea coat which was open. She waltzed into his apartment and made it about two steps before Finn picked her up and whisked her into his bedroom.

They didn't take their time as Finn shoved her coat off and she ripped his button down open before her hands found the button of his khakis. They hadn't even succeeded in removing all their clothing by the time Rachel was astride Finn, riding him like a horse.

"Thank God for Victoria's Secret," Finn breathed out as he pushed the fabric of her teddy aside to caress her bare breasts. Rachel beamed at him as her hips moved back and forth against his. She gripped Finn's hands in hers and intertwined their fingers before pressing them into the bed as she leaned forward to kiss Finn's throat.

"Thank God for your genetics," she exclaimed as he brushed her spot and made her twitch as a jolt of pleasure zipped through her nerves. Finn could hear her faintly say _so huge_ and couldn't stop the smile appearing on his face.

It came much quicker than either really wanted but still felt great when Rachel dug her nails into Finn's abdomen to keep herself from falling over as her silky walls squeezed his cock tightly repeatedly and her face scrunched together making him lose all control. She collapsed on top of Finn, pressing gentle kisses along his hot, bare skin while he grazed his finger tips up and down the length of her back before moving lower to cup her ass.

"Two weeks and we're free," Finn said suddenly and Rachel picked her head up. "I wanted to be done today but I couldn't leave Figgins without someone so suddenly. We just need to be careful for two more weeks. Can you believe it?"

Rachel shook her head no. "It always seemed so far away and almost impossible. Now it's right in front of us." She pressed her lips to Finn's and he snaked his fingers through her hair.

_**This** is worth it all_ Rachel thought to herself as she and Finn kissed lovingly. Kurt may be mad at her but as long as she had Finn she could handle it until he came around. And as for Jacob Ben Israel, Finn was worth two weeks of dealing with his ridiculous Jewfro.

Two weeks and everything would be perfect.


	14. Date From Hell

Week one was nearing its end which was good for Finn but upsetting for Rachel. Her date with Jacob Ben Israel was arriving rapidly that Friday and all week Jacob hadn't let her forget it.

"_Wear something low cut…and short," he requested of her that Monday morning when he found her in the hallway. "I want to enjoy this."_

"_What? Is my company alone not enough?" Rachel asked in a snarky tone._

_Jacob snorted. "Nope. I want skin and if you have something red that would be nice. I think you look lovely in red." He ran his fingers over her arm and she felt her skin crawl at the contact. "See you later, my pet."_

_Rachel watched him walk away and wanted to scrub to eliminate any traces of Jacob from her body._

The rest of the week continued in much the same fashion. Every time he saw her, Jacob reminded Rachel of what was at stake if she backed out or tried to defy his demands in any way. She felt disgusted at having to appease her tormentor but knew it was the best way to keep Finn safe. That was her only goal with following through on Jacob's plot – to protect Finn's reputation and career. She had to make it through one date and seven days to break free of his current vice grip on her life.

"I still say you let me castrate him. It'll teach him a lesson about messing in people's business," Santana plead her case for torture again.

Rachel chuckled without humor. "Or it'll just make him want to retaliate even harder and then he'll ruin all our lives. He's like the Gossip Girl of McKinley; he has dirt on everyone and if he doesn't he makes it up. Do not antagonize him, Santana. You promised me."

She sighed, annoyed, but promised yet again. "Can I at least come along to protect you in the event he does try to kidnap you and make you his sex slave?"

Rachel laughed louder this time and closed her locker before they started down the hall to English and Math respectively. "That won't be necessary, Santana. His strength is only fueled by an internet connection, not muscles. I think I can handle myself with my pepper spray."

Santana didn't look convinced. "He's a guy and even the weakest guys can become Hulk-like when their testosterone kicks in. You've seen Kurt on Black Friday."

"I appreciate the concern and support but I think I'll be fine. I'll have my pepper spray, my rape whistle and I'm rather toned from my morning cardio and yoga. I think I can take Jacob. If you're worried so much though, if I haven't called by eleven pm, send out the SWAT team to come rescue me from his clutches."

"I will do that. Don't even joke, Rachel. I expect a call." She pointed at her severely as she backed into her math classroom making Rachel chuckle some more.

Rachel continued down the hallway to get to Finn's classroom and suddenly a sense of dread hit her. She really had to go on a date with the bane of her existence and lie about it to the love of her life. When did her life become so complicated? Oh, right, when she decided to sleep with her teacher and subsequently fell in love with him. _Just this date and one more week and life will go back to its usual level of insanity_ Rachel reminded herself as she walked into Finn's room.

"Afternoon Rachel." Finn noticed the sullen expression she wore. "Everything okay?"

She noticed his concern and attempted to brighten her features. Of course he'd want to know what was wrong if she looked upset. "Mhm, everything's fine."

He lowered his voice as she walked to her desk. "Rachel, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Drop it," she snipped at him. As more and more kids entered the room Finn dropped the subject to focus on the lesson for the day but every so often glanced at Rachel to see her bad mood on her face.

When class ended he tried to talk to her quickly before the next group of students came in but she zipped out of the classroom too fast. He sent a quick text asking if she would be over that night and received a heavy 'no' in response. Finn wondered if he had done something wrong but he couldn't think of anything. Until that day Rachel had been nothing but her usual happy and chipper self around him. Knowing she wasn't going to willingly come to him and discuss what was wrong, he would have to go to her.

As soon as the afterschool period let out, Finn drove to Rachel's where he found no car but hers in the driveway. Usually her fathers were out until around six so he figured they'd be safe alone at her house until then. As Finn walked up to her front door, he realized he had never actually been inside Rachel's house and it intrigued him to know what it looked like, especially her bedroom.

Finn only waited about a minute before Rachel answered the door with shock on her face. "Finn! What are you doing here?" she gawked before looking around his frame to make sure no one was around to rat them out.

"I wanted to talk to you."

Without further explanation Rachel pulled Finn inside and locked the door and chain before dragging him upstairs quickly to her bedroom. They didn't speak until she had locked her door and for added measure, used her chair to block the door.

"Finn, do you know how foolish it is to show up here? There's a reason I always go to your place!" she scolded him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I know that, but your dads don't usually come home until around six so I thought I'd take my chances. I needed to talk to you. You were so upset during English today and you were being so short with me. I feel like I did something to upset you."

Rachel's fury softened and she uncrossed her arms to take Finn's hands. "Finn, you didn't do anything. It's me and my problem that has me upset."

"Well, what's the problem? Maybe I can help." He was so eager to find a solution to make Rachel feel better.

"It's nothing to concern yourself with, I promise. I was just having a bad day, that's all. The problem will resolve itself eventually." Rachel gave him a smile but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"What are you hiding from me?"

"Nothing. I'm not hiding anything," she lied. "I'm sorry, Finn, but you really need to get out of here before my dads arrive home. I have to get ready as well. I'm going out with Santana tonight which is why I couldn't come over today. Bit of a girls' night." She smiled again trying to make it as natural as possible.

"Rachel, what are you hiding from me?" Finn wasn't buying it.

Rachel really didn't want to tell Finn what was going on. He would keep her from doing what she needed to do to protect him to try to protect her and she couldn't let that happen so she went with the distraction technique that worked best with Finn – she jumped him.

Her lips found his quickly and they fell back onto her bed as her unexpected weight being flung at him dislodged Finn's feet from the floor. She slipped her fingers into his hair and his large hands found the zipper of her dress. As of that moment, her distraction seemed to be working and she could feel Finn's arousal through his pants.

Not wanting to give his mouth a chance to formulate words, Rachel continued to kiss him, swallowing his wanton moans as she tugged his sweater and under shirt up. They separated for seconds to get the fabric over his head before she tossed it toward her desk, knocking some books over in her haste. While she worked on his belt and zipper, Finn finally began pulling her dress down her body, revealing her cute pale pink bra. Rachel sat up and yanked Finn with her to shimmy the rest of the way out of her dress and help relieve Finn of his pants and underwear.

Clothes were strewn about the room as Finn tugged a pebbled nipple between his teeth forcing a mewl from Rachel's lips. She hugged his head as his fingers found her wet entrance. He spread her moisture up to her clit and teased it before slipping his hardened cock inside her slick opening. She enveloped his length and pressed her center as close to his body as possible using her legs to tighten the hold.

"F-finn," Rachel whimpered when he drew out and slammed back in. His lips moved up her chest to her neck to her lips again while his hands roved over her olive flesh. He held her everywhere and made love to her with every piece of him as Rachel returned the sentiment and fell even more in love with Finn.

Feeling himself getting ready to come but not wanting the intense moment to be over yet, Finn pulled out to Rachel's dissatisfaction and rolled them over to place Rachel on her back. He got on his knees between her thighs and took a moment to collect himself before tugging Rachel into his arms and holding her flush against his body. She wrapped her legs around his hips and slid onto him once more. Their hips met in time against each other as the room filled with the sound of pants and moans.

Rachel wrapped her hand around Finn's neck and the other arm around his shoulder as her breasts pressed against his chest and her clit grazed his body. She was getting close to losing it and Finn's increased thrusts were nearly enough. Their kiss broke and Rachel pulled away enough to look down between them and watch Finn's cock slip in and out of her body, glistening with her juices. She rolled her hips into his and rubbed her nub against him to make herself slip into blissful oblivion.

Her head fell back and her body shuddered in Finn's arms as she came undone. She clawed at his back trying to keep the sensation from slipping away too soon then slumped in his arms when it finally did. She breathed heavily as he laid her down and hovered over her.

"Did you…?"

"Not yet," he replied deeply, nuzzling into her hair as he rubbed his length along her thigh and wrapped his arms under her body.

Rachel took him in her hand and ran her fingers and palm lightly up and down his shaft, spreading their mixed moisture over his smooth skin. Seconds later, Rachel could feel his hot cum on her own heated and dewy stomach as he shuddered above her, moaning into her shoulder. She continued her slow and slight up and down motion until he went soft in her hand.

Finn reluctantly rolled off of Rachel and came to rest next to her. She grabbed a tissue from her bedside table and wiped off her stomach before turning to face Finn. "I hate to kick you out after that but you really need to go. We can't risk my dads coming home with you still here."

He nodded in understanding and sat up. Finn stared around her room, taking in its contents finally. It was very pink, very bright and very Rachel. "It's nice to see your room."

Rachel sat up and placed her chin on his shoulder. "It's weird."

Finn face drew together in confusion. "Why?"

"We've just never been in here together before. It's strange."

"Well, once we're in New York I guess I'll be free to stop by your room anytime, right?"

"Right." She smiled brightly at him and kissed his shoulder. "Finn…"

He sighed and pulled away to get up. "I know, I'm going."

She sat on her bed and watched Finn get dressed again until he looked decent enough then grabbed her robe to escort him downstairs. Though she knew Finn had to get out of there, Rachel couldn't help herself from spending a few minutes pressing him against the wall in a heated make-out. They finally did break apart and Finn left without a trace of his ever having been there and Rachel proceeded to get ready for her date from hell.

Rachel stood in the shower letting the water cascade over her as she fell into thoughts of what had just happened. She had just made love to Finn then kicked him out right after to get ready for a date with another man. It was reprehensible and she felt trampy but knew it was what she had to do. Surely if Finn found out he would understand she was suffering through it for him. She just needed to keep Finn from finding out then she wouldn't even need to worry.

To be sure she would arrive on time Rachel made it to Breadstix at quarter to seven and waited for five minutes before Jacob arrived.

"Glad to see you made it…and early. Anxious are we?" he crooned.

_Anxious to get this over with_ Rachel said to herself.

The hostess led them to a booth and Rachel slid in expecting Jacob to sit across from her. Instead he slipped in next to her, trapping her against the wall.

"So, let's see it," he announced salaciously.

"See what?"

"The dress you wore for me." Jacob waggled his eyebrows like a cartoon villain and turned in the seat to face her better.

She hated feeling like a piece of meat meant for consumption but that was basically what her night was going to be. Feeling the need to shower yet again, Rachel unwillingly removed her coat and revealed the only sexy dress she owned – a matte black dress with a deep V that came to just above her belly button then hugged her curves and came to just below her backside on her. She had only worn the dress once for her eighteenth birthday when Santana, Kurt, Blaine and Brittany took her to Cincinnati to see The Lion King then after used fake IDs to get into some clubs. It made her look very adult and now she was regretting the choice of wearing it.

"Hubba, hubba," Jacob crowed as his eyes widened and focused in on her breasts.

Rachel felt entirely uncomfortable under his gaze and tried to turn to avoid him. Unfortunately their close proximity and the fact Jacob kept scooting even closer was not helping. Jacob was so enamored of her figure that he didn't even bother looking at a menu. When the waitress arrived, Rachel sent out pleading 'help me' glances to her but the woman didn't seem to understand or simply didn't care. They ordered their food and Rachel sat silently as Jacob undressed her with his eyes.

"You enchant me," he said dreamily as he placed his elbow on the table and held his head up. A goofy grin crossed his face but it was nothing like Finn's charming and endearing one which always made Rachel giggle and want to kiss him. Jacob's face had the opposite effect and Rachel was really considering climbing over the barrier separating their booth and the one next to it but scrapped that plan when she remembered how short her dress was and how high her heels were. "A woman as beautiful as you should have someone worthy of her on her arm. Not some perverted school teacher."

Rage was building inside her. How dare he talk about Finn that way? "And I suppose that someone would be you?" she snapped at him acidly.

"Precisely. I'm going to be a billionaire someday and you can be my trophy wife and dote on me while you raise our kids." He smiled at her and ran his finger over the back of her hand.

She pulled her hand away and placed it under the table. "You are delusional if you think I plan on even seeing you again once high school ends. I would never let your idea of how my life should be occur even with a man who wasn't you. I am more than a stay-at-home trophy wife. I am a star bound for Broadway and you're probably going to end up with multiple restraining orders against you while you live in your mom's basement for the rest of your life."

Jacob only laughed at her. "You're so cute when you're passionate about something." He tried to touch her nose and she reared back hitting her head on the barrier. "Ooh, watch it dearest. You don't need a concussion." His fingers found her hair and he rubbed the spot she hit. Rachel felt like she was going to be sick when the thought of how Finn had his hand there just mere hours before slipped into her consciousness. "Look, you're going to be stuck with me until dinner is over anyway so you might as well try to enjoy it."

"How am I supposed to enjoy anything with you when you repulse me?" She yanked his hand away from her head and crossed her arms over her chest. When she noticed his eyes dart down to her breasts she followed and realized this only caused to push her breasts together and up more making them appear bigger. She removed her arms and placed them back in her lap.

"You and I have a quite a bit in common actually. We both want out of Lima, we both want to be rich and famous, we're both Jewish."

Rachel snorted. "If those are your reasons why we should be together then you're more desperate than I thought. Practically everyone at Temple wants that; doesn't mean we'd make a good match."

"If you're my mother, that's more than enough. She'd settle for just Jewish."

"Well, I am not your mother and that's not enough for me. We have nothing in common and I hate you. A relationship needs to be based on a substantial amount more than that."

"What's your relationship with Mr. Hudson based on exactly?" Jacob inquired with interest.

"That is none of your business, Jacob. I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of knowing anything more about our relationship than you already do, you little cretin." Rachel huffed and looked around the restaurant hoping to see their waitress with their food already.

Jacob only laughed again. "See the whole schoolgirl and bad teacher routine is cute in bed but in real life it's just creepy. Doesn't it bother you that your teacher, a person who should be nurturing your mind and helping you grow, is taking advantage of that power over you just so he can get his rocks off?"

"That has nothing to do with it!" she defensively snarled at him before she realized what she just admitted.

Jacob laughed more heartily now. "So you two _are_ sleeping together! I had a feeling with the way you were kissing but I had no proof until now. This is great stuff." He shook his head and pulled out his phone. She watched him add it to his 'Blackmail List'.

"You are despicable and that isn't a confirmation that we're sleeping together," Rachel huffed, trying to lessen the damage she had done.

"But I know you are. I can just tell. I just hope he didn't stretch you out too much for me."

Rachel had just brought her hand up to smack across his face when the waitress came over with their food. Not wanting to be seen smacking him, Rachel dropped her hand and seethed silently while she got a small reprieve from Jacob's voice as he ate. She hardly touched her own food while Jacob noisily slurped up his spaghetti next to her.

The entire situation was ridiculous and unpleasant and Rachel wanted nothing more than for Jacob to be obliterated into a million little pieces and scattered into the wind. She was nearly finished however. Their date was nearly done and then she would only have to endure five more school days of this horrid torture.

For the remainder of their time at Breadstix, Rachel sat in silence while Jacob talked at her. She didn't listen at all to what he said, just stayed in her own head where she could be on a real date with Finn and where Jacob didn't exist.

"Well, it's getting late, we should go."

"That's the best idea I've heard all night," Rachel muttered under her breath.

Jacob got out of the booth and held his hand out for Rachel but she didn't take it as she slid out of the booth and stood up. Jacob raked his eyes over her body in the skin tight dress and whimpered a little when she covered back up with her coat. She stalked out of the restaurant after having to pay for their meals and yelled goodbye over her shoulder as she stormed off to her car.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Jacob called after her. She had just made it to her car when she spun around.

"What?" she screamed in his face. "I did everything you asked! What can you want now?"

"I need a ride home. I told my mom you'd give me one."

Rachel growled in frustration and unlocked her car. "This is the last thing I do for you tonight."

Jacob put his hands up and slinked around to the passenger's side. The ride was silent save for the few directions Jacob gave Rachel to get him home. She pulled into his driveway and angrily waited for him to exit the vehicle.

"Get out of my car, Jacob."

He swallowed thickly and stared at her. "I had a good time tonight. We'll have to do it again soon."

"Fat chance, Jacob."

"I think you forget I still have those pictures and straight from the horse's mouth that you and Mr. Hudson are sexually active." Rachel grit her teeth at the reminder. "I'll take what I want."

"What do y-"

Before Rachel could finish the sentence Jacob's mouth was on hers and his hand had slipped into her coat and under the fabric of her dress to grip her bare breast. She was so stunned she couldn't even move as she felt his clammy fingers pinch her nipple. It was only when his other hand began creeping up her thigh that everything switched back on and she got her wits back.

Rachel's hand came up and punched Jacob right in the throat before she shoved him off. He choked in the seat next to her as she unbuckled him and climbed out of her car to move around to his side to open the door. She ripped him out of her car by the hair and slammed her door shut before towering over his crouching form.

"How dare you touch me without my consent? You are a disgusting pig and if you even think of trying to continue to blackmail me I will go to the police and report you for molesting me! You are done controlling me!" She kicked him for added effect and stormed back over to the driver's side. She fought the tears forming to tear out of his driveway.

Rachel wanted desperately to seek comfort in Finn's arms but she knew that was the last place she could go. He would be even angrier after what Jacob had just pulled and everything she had suffered through that night would have been in vain because not only would he lose his job and reputation but he'd probably end up in jail for assault, possibly even greater charges.

Normally the next person she would go to would be her dads but clearly they were out as she couldn't very well explain what happened to them either. After them would be Kurt but as he still wasn't speaking to her, he was a no go. That left Santana. Santana wasn't one for tears and emotions but Rachel had no other option besides pulling to the side of the road and swirling into a pit of despair alone until she could pull herself back together enough to return home.

The next thing she knew Rachel was knocking on Santana's door without remembering just how she got there and a minute later her mother answered.

"Rachel? What are you doing here?" Mrs. Lopez asked with concern.

"Is Santana here?" Rachel asked, voice wavering as she tried to contain her sobs that threatened to escape.

The woman nodded and pulled her into the house. "Santana, Rachel está aquí!" she yelled up the stairs to her daughter. Moments later Rachel saw Santana stomping towards her.

"Rachel, what…?" Tears began spilling down Rachel's face and Santana knew they needed to be alone.

"Mami, necesitamos agua," Santana requested of her mother as she took Rachel upstairs. She sat her down on her bed and climbed in next to her. "What happened?"

Rachel just started crying harder and hid her face behind her hands. Santana offered her a box of tissues and waited for the sobs to get under control before trying to get her to speak again. They sat there silent for a few minutes until Santana's mom appeared with a glass of water. She and Santana exchanged a few quick words in Spanish before she closed the door again and returned to the bed. Rachel downed the water quickly and pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees.

"Can you tell me what happened now?"

Rachel didn't speak at first and Santana was readying to shake some words out of her when she squeaked. "He touched me."

Santana took in a sharp breath before growling out, "I'm gonna make him eat his balls," under her breath. "What exactly happened?"

Very painfully, Rachel recalled the events of the night to her only good friend. "I just feel violated, like he took something that should be special and ruined it. Finn is the only one who is allowed to kiss me and touch me and Jacob ignored that and forced himself on me. You were right. I should have let you come with me. I'm just lucky my punch landed." She was at least thankful that she was physically stronger than Jacob.

"I'll be right back. I gotta find some razor blades."

"Santana," Rachel choked out, gripping her wrist and pulling her back onto the bed. "Just leave it alone. Things are settled between us now and I don't want to stir up anymore drama. Please, just drop it. If you do anything it might provoke him again and then Finn will be in trouble again."

"Rachel, he molested you! He deserves to be beaten with a pillowcase full of rocks for touching you! I don't give a damn about Finn! I care about you and Jewfro needs to pay for this!"

Rachel shook her head. "If you care about me you won't do anything. You'll leave well enough alone and won't go after Jacob. Please, do this for me?" She begged her with her eyes and the grip on her wrist not to mess things up.

Santana scooted closer, ran her fingers through Rachel's hair and hugged her. "The bitch needs some schoolyard justice but," she sighed, "I suppose it can wait until after Mr. Hudson is gone. I can't promise Snixx won't take over though. I'll try to keep her at bay but…" Rachel chuckled. "Rachel, I really wish you'd let me handle him."

"Santana, I promise after next Friday, you can beat the shit out of him if you so wish, but please, don't do anything before then." She hugged her tighter and let out a yawn. "I should go."

"No, you're staying here. I already talked to my mom and she called your dads to let them know you're staying." Rachel's eyes widened in terror. "Don't worry, she didn't spill, just told them our plans changed." She relaxed again.

"Do you have something I can change into?"

Santana released her and grabbed one of her comfy pairs of pajamas for Rachel to wear. When she took her coat off Santana whistled at her attire. "Damn."

Rachel blushed. "I probably shouldn't have worn this. It's a little inviting."

"Rachel, whether you're covered head to toe in snow gear or stark naked, no one should touch you without your consent. This isn't your fault." She made sure Rachel understood that completely before tugging her into a hug.

She couldn't stop herself from giggling in Santana's arms. "It's really nice to see your softer side, weird, but nice."

Santana raised her eyebrow and shrugged. "It's been known to happen on occasion. Come on, change and let's go raid the fridge. We'll pop in a movie and think of creative ways to remove Jacob Ben Asshole's testicles." She smiled as she tossed the pajamas at her.

Though the night had held more drama than she had initially wanted, Rachel was just glad that everything was behind her. The next week would be cake.

* * *

><p>Or will it?<p> 


	15. The Wrath of Snixx

I apologize for the delay in updating but the new chapter is here! I would just like to give another big thanks to everyone who has read, favorited, alerted and reviewed. :) You are all great! Also, thank you so much to my lovely beta Hannah. She is fantastic. :D

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><p>Rachel was dreading going back to school that Monday and prayed that Jacob had taken the hint. She had spent the weekend at Santana's house, checking Jacob's blog every few minutes, paranoid that he would spill everything in a fit of retaliation for the throat punch, but the first page only had his usual muckraking garbage. The lack of angry fathers knocking down Santana's door and demanding answers also helped alleviate some of Rachel's tension. As it was Jacob Ben Israel however, the slimiest and sneakiest gossip in all of Ohio, she was still scared he might blow everything.<p>

"I still think you should report that creepy bastard," Santana offered as they met at her locker that morning.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I just want to forget it and move on. It seems like he took the hint so Finn and I should be safe and free to move on with our lives together after this week." Rachel had been trying to forget the incident all weekend but Santana's constant discussion made it very difficult. Honestly, everything had moved so fast it all seemed a giant blur now. She knew that was no excuse for Jacob's behavior, but she wasn't going to let those few moments ruin her. "To be honest, Santana, you continuously talking about this is beginning to get on my nerves. I appreciate all of your concern, but I really just want to stop dwelling on it and get back to my life."

Santana looked offended. "Well, I'm sorry that one of my best friends was molested and I want the scumbag responsible to pay for it. I can't believe how big of an idiot I'm being," she replied with biting sarcasm.

"Santana, I told you after this week you could 'go all Lima Heights' on him if you wanted. We just can't afford it right now."

Her face hardened. "And by 'we' you mean…"

"You know who I mean." Rachel stared up at Santana pleadingly.

"I don't understand why you would put yourself at risk for him. It just…"

"He would do the same for me. I know he would. And Santana, what if you were in a situation like this with Brittany? Wouldn't you do anything you could to protect her?"

Seeing her point, Santana sighed, rolled her eyes and dropped her arms to her sides. "Fine. I still think you're being dumb about this whole thing but I promise I won't do or say anything until Saturday. Happy now?"

Rachel smiled at her. "Yes. Thank you." She hugged her tightly and the pair split up to make their way to homeroom. The first two periods of the day flew by and Rachel could feel the weight lifting from her shoulders as she realized Jacob wasn't on her anymore and she would get to have her man without complication on Saturday.

When second period ended, Rachel was lost in thoughts on how she would explain her relationship with Finn to her fathers when she looked up and found the bane of her existence waiting at her locker.

"We aren't through yet. I still have a week left," his nasally voice announced when Rachel was close enough.

"I told you-"

"I know what you told me and at first, yes, I'll admit I was a little scared, but then I thought about it. There's no evidence of what happened and who would believe you anyway after how you've been mostly successful in hiding and lying about your sexual relationship with a member of the faculty? Your word is shot to hell and soon your reputation will be joining it. No one would believe you; they'd say you were making it up to protect yourself and your lover. So the way I see it, you have two options: come over to my house later today or say goodbye to lover boy's career and your credibility."

Jacob waited, staring at her smugly with his arms crossed over his chest, for Rachel to make a decision. She was in shock. Her foolproof plan had failed and Jacob wasn't afraid of her threat. He was going to continue to blackmail her and honestly, if she didn't comply, Finn was screwed. Perhaps she could talk to Finn to get him to quit earlier, but that meant having to explain everything to him and she couldn't do that. There had to be some way out that would work in her favor as well as Finn's. She just needed time to think.

"What time should I be over?" she replied meekly for now until she could figure another way out.

"Right after school. I want as much time with you as possible." He smirked at her then stalked off to surely terrorize someone else with his creepiness.

Rachel could feel tears prickling in her eyes and wanted nothing more than to seek comfort in Finn's arms, to feel his large body surrounding hers and keeping her safe and to hear his voice assuring her that everything would be alright, but there wasn't time for that now. Right then she needed to compose herself and come up with an option three. She wiped the wetness from her eyes and held her head high as she walked to her next class.

Further down the hall was Santana who had seen the entire exchange. Out of courtesy to Rachel she refrained from interrupting and smacking down that Jewish cloud-haired freak but now that Rachel was safely gone, she had to step in. Surely if Rachel and Finn were 'true love' they would survive this week whatever the consequences. And she was only going to talk to him; Santana would try to keep Snixx caged as best she could.

Knowing exactly where Jacob would be that period, Santana angrily stormed in his direction, picturing the various ways she'd love to torture him. She found him standing outside the A/V room with the rest of the rejects of McKinley.

"Hey, Frizz, you and I needs tah have a little chat," Santana stated as she got closer to the group which huddled closer together before seeking the safety of the A/V room. "Back off of my girl Rachel or you and I will be having more of a problem than usual."

"What goes on between Rachel and I is none of your business," he stated boldly before swallowing nervously.

Santana glared at him. "Oh but I think it is. No one touches my friends without their consent and gets away with it." She stepped closer to him. "So keep your paws off Rachel and evaporate. I do not want to see you, hear you, smell you walking down these halls again and if you talk to Rachel one more time I will make sure you never get an erection again. Are we clear?"

Jacob swallowed again. "If I want to pursue Rachel I will. You aren't her keeper and it really isn't your concern. You can't threaten me."

"She doesn't like you! No one likes you and you are ruining her life doing what you're doing," she hissed at him.

"Well no one likes you either. Everyone says you're a bitch and Brittany only puts up with you because you put out and have huge boobs!" Jacob snapped his mouth shut and instantly regretted going there.

Santana stood still for a moment as the anger built inside her. Ever since landing eyes on the little cretin, Snixx had been pulling at her chains and she could feel them weakening with each passing second. When he began attacking her relationship with Brittany, the chains snapped and Snixx surfaced terribly.

She saw red as her fist clamped around his hair and ripped him across the hallway, slamming him into lockers. She punched him in the face, breaking his glasses and when he slid to the floor, she started kicking him angrily, screaming at him in Spanish loudly until arms wrapped around her middle and pulled her back.

Continuing to thrash as she was hauled down the hallway, Santana began to notice the crowd that had formed and saw Kurt walking down the hall next to whoever was carrying her. She looked at the person holding her and found Coach Beiste.

"Put me the fuck down!" she screamed at her, kicking again and pulling at her arms. "I can fucking walk!"

Coach Beiste made the mistake of putting Santana down and she instantly turned around to run back to find Jacob again only to trip over Kurt's extended foot in her way. She hit the ground and Beiste picked her up again, throwing her over her shoulder, not putting her down again until she, Kurt, Jacob and Figgins were all settled in his office.

Kurt sat between Santana and a battered Jacob to keep Santana in check and Beiste sat on the couch to keep anyone from bolting from the room.

"Would you mind explaining to me just what happened please?" Figgins roared from his seat. "I cannot have students beating up other students willy nilly! Now someone speak!"

Neither Santana nor Jacob wanted to be the first to talk so Kurt said his piece. "I'm not sure how the fight started but for my part, I was only trying to stop it before it started. I saw Santana getting ready to snap and knew Jacob was going to get pummeled. I thought I could get there before the claws came out but I was too late. Santana had already thrown him across the hall."

Santana looked appalled. "Thanks for throwing me under the bus, Kurt!"

"I'm just telling what I saw, Santana. Anyway, I tried to step between them and break them up to prevent _this_ but I just got elbowed in the stomach. Instead I ran to get help and found Coach Beiste."

Figgins' mouth was a thin line as he pointed at Jacob to speak. "What exactly happened that led to Miss Lopez punching you?"

"He insulted my relationship with my girlfriend," Santana cut in.

"Only after you threatened to physically harm me!" Jacob whined.

Santana stood up. "Because you've been blackmailing Rachel and molested her!" Everyone gasped at Santana's outburst and Jacob sank further into his chair.

"Miss Lopez, that is a very serious accusation," Figgins said, leaning over his desk.

"Is it true?" Kurt asked her quietly.

Santana looked around at everyone in the room. She realized she had broken her promise to Rachel to keep quiet but the cat was out of the bag now. She nodded to him. "Rachel came to my house crying her eyes out on Friday night because Jacob had touched her against her will."

"Why was she even out with him?" Kurt squealed, staring daggers at Jacob. Rachel hated the guy and was with Finn. Why would she be hanging out with Jacob?

"He's been blackmailing her."

Jacob sat up in his chair defensively and cried, "I was only doing it to protect her!"

"How is forcing her on a date and then molesting her protecting her?"

"Because he's only going to hurt her! Mr. Hudson is using her and she deserves better than him and everyone is going to judge her if they come out together!" Santana knew what Jacob was doing. He was deflecting to take focus off him and make someone else look worse. Unfortunately it seemed to be working.

Coach Beiste moved to lean against Figgins' desk. "Wait, what do you mean Mr. Hudson is using her? What does Mr. Hudson have to do with any of this?"

"Nothing! Mr. Hudson has nothing to do with this! He is just grasping at straws trying to cover his own ass for what he did." Santana glared at Jacob who was standing in a fury himself.

"I am not grasping at straws. It's the truth. Rachel Berry has been having a relationship of a sexual nature with Mr. Hudson and for quite some time it seems."

Figgins and Beiste stared wide eyed at each other. "Mr. Ben Israel, this is a very serious matter. You can't drag a teacher's reputation through the mud to try to protect yourself," Beiste stated.

Figgins looked at him seriously. "I have to agree, Jacob. It's highly inappropriate and a very severe allegation to make."

Jacob pulled his phone out of his pocket. "I have proof." He handed the phone to Figgins who balked at the images.

Santana fell back into her chair and looked over at Kurt. They were screwed and Rachel was going to be livid. "Those could be photoshopped. Everyone knows Jacob is notorious for photoshopping pictures and bending the truth," Santana tried to explain.

"These do not look photoshopped."

"Well, Jacob is an expert at photoshop, right Kurt?" Santana nudged Kurt in an effort to get him to agree. Instead, Kurt did about the worst thing he could do for Finn and Rachel at that moment.

"They aren't photoshopped. Jacob is right. Mr. Hudson has been having an affair with Rachel for months now."

Santana's mouth fell open in horror as she stared at Kurt and everyone else seemed thoroughly surprised. "Kurt…?"

"I'm sorry, Santana, but I'm not covering anymore. Rachel was _violated_ because of this. What kind of friend would I be to cover that up? I know we're going through a rough patch right now but I still love Rachel and am horrified at what has happened. It is Mr. Hudson's fault that she ended up in this situation at all and he should pay for the damage he has caused. As should you…" Kurt rounded on Jacob with tears in his eyes. "How dare you put your hands on my best friend? You do not touch someone when they do not want to be touched! How would you like it if someone you hated grabbed your junk when that is your nightmare? You're despicable and deserve-"

"Mr. Hummel, please calm down, we will deal with this," Figgins interjected. "Now please go back to class. As for you Miss Lopez, I'm suggesting one week's suspension."

Santana scoffed. "Suspension? I was doing this school a favor! I should be commemorated for kicking the shit out of this kid!"

"Miss Lopez, we can't have fighting on school grounds. Now please, go back to class with Mr. Hummel. Your suspension begins tomorrow." Figgins dismissed them again.

Santana steamed as she and Kurt exited the office and came to stand just out of view. They were going to wait and see what happened to Jacob.

"I cannot believe I got fucking suspended for defending my best friend and girlfriend! This is bullshit. I need a lawyer!"

Kurt wiped his eyes and folded his arms over his chest. "I can't believe Rachel was…and she didn't come to me. She went to _you_ but not me!"

Santana leaned against the wall next to him. "Well you haven't exactly given her that many reasons to confide in you lately. And I can't believe you backed Jewish Perez Hilton up! I know you don't approve of their relationship but Rachel is your best friend. She asked for one thing from you and you broke your promise."

"He is the reason Rachel was-"

"No he isn't. Rachel knew exactly what she was doing when she started this thing with him. She is a big girl, Kurt. It's her choice to make. She loves him and is an adult capable of adult decisions. Why can't you accept that?"

"She may think she loves him but-"

"But what?"

"Does he love her? Really love her? How can she be sure? How does she know he won't just run off with someone younger and break her heart?"

Santana snorted at him. "How do any of us know if our partners really love us? How do you know Blaine really loves you and won't run off with someone younger and break your heart? After all, he's a junior and you're a senior and you're graduating. We just have to trust that when the other person says they love us they're telling the truth. We have to feel it." She paused and thought back on the first time she saw them together. "You should have seen them together though. I've never seen Rachel happier. And him…he looks at her like he's never seen anything more beautiful in his life. You know I'm not one for the feelings but honestly, they're the real deal."

"Who are you and what have you done with Santana?" Kurt quipped at her sudden heartfelt moment. She just scowled and shoved him. "It's still just so weird. He's our teacher."

She snorted again. "Not after today. If it makes you feel any better, he probably won't be anyone's teacher ever again now. He just had to get involved with a student."

Kurt stared at the floor. "Well now I feel bad. He actually is a great teacher." He threw his head back and pushed himself off the wall. "I just ruined a man's career and probably irreparably damaged my relationship with my best friend and there's no way I can fix either problem. This is a mess."

Just then both of their phones buzzed with a text from Blaine and Brittany. _Check JBI's blog_ it said simply. Both pulled it up on their phones and were horrified to find a huge article titled 'Hot for Teacher?' accompanied by pictures of Rachel and Finn together kissing.

"This is really not good. We need to find Rachel," Santana suggested.

"Already on it," Coach Beiste said from behind them. "You two better get to class now before Figgins adds more to your suspension." They watched her walk down the hall and disappear around the corner.

"Yeah, this is _really_ not good."


	16. And It Really Hits the Fan

As I am not a lawyer familiar with Ohio state law, I went with the Glee theory on teacher/student relationships that it isn't illegal because Rachel is eighteen. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Finn was in the middle of reading through a scene from <em>Julius Caesar<em> with some sophomores when there was a knock on the door. Coach Beiste and Mr. Schuester were standing there glaring at him accusingly.

"Finn, you need to come with me. Will's going to cover your classes for the rest of the day," Beiste explained as she wrapped her hand around Finn's upper arm to pull him forward. She was digging her fingers in and it kinda hurt.

"What's going on? Where are we going?"

Beiste just looked forward and didn't speak as Finn's mind raced with the possibilities. Was someone hurt? Is it his mother or someone else in his family? Did something happen to his car or house? Then his greatest fear made the blood drain from his face. Rachel. He knew deep down this had to do with her.

He was led into Figgins' office and forced into a seat while Beiste stood by the door behind him.

"Mr. Hudson, I'm sorry to have to ask but I must. I've received a very startling report from multiple sources that you have been having an inappropriate affair with one of your students. I need to know to the truth," Figgins stated bluntly.

Finn's heart beat in his ears and his palms grew sweaty as his boss and the football coach stared him down. He wanted to run and never look back but he couldn't. He was trapped in that box of a room which only seemed to be growing smaller while his clothes grew tighter until it seemed they were squeezing the life out of him. His breathing was quick and he couldn't stop blinking, trying to make the judgmental eyes on him disappear.

"Finn…"

"I didn't do anything," he finally said, almost yelling it. He didn't feel comfortable lying but he only had a week left. If he lost his reputation now and was fired for his relationship with Rachel, he'd never be able to teach again.

Figgins looked disappointed, like he had been hoping Finn would confess and make all this much easier. "Finn, we have eyewitness accounts and photographic evidence that suggest otherwise."

_Eyewitness accounts and photographic evidence? But who…?_ Finn thought to himself. It had to have been Rachel's friends. They were the only ones who could have done this. He knew he shouldn't have trusted they'd keep their word.

"Can I see these alleged photos? And who are the eyewitnesses?"

Figgins pulled up the photos on his computer. "I cannot reveal their identities but my sources seemed very sure of their stories." He showed Finn the pictures and his heart sank. They were of him kissing Rachel in her car the night he picked her up when she was so upset. But who took them? How did they get them without him or Rachel even noticing?

"They could be photoshopped," he stated trying to keep himself together.

"I have been assured they aren't."

Tears brimmed in his eyes as he cracked and sealed his fate further. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean…I didn't mean for it to happen." Figgins sighed again and looked at Beiste who just shook her head. Though he probably shouldn't have kept talking now that he was, he couldn't stop. "I tried to stop her but then I couldn't and it just grew and I fell in love with her and I'm not ashamed about that. I'm sorry I messed up going after a student but I'm not sorry for how I feel about her. I love Rachel. I love her." Then the dread hit him as he realized what he'd just confessed.

"Finn, I'm sorry. You were a good teacher but your misconduct cannot go unpunished. It is our job to foster these children's minds and protect them and you abused your power and took advantage of a student. You're just lucky the student in question was of age otherwise you could be facing serious jail time. I have no choice but to fire you. You're to be escorted off the premises immediately and you may return after six pm to clean out your classroom of your belongings. I'm sorry, Finn, but you'll never teach again."

The gravity of the situation hit Finn like a train. The shit had really hit the fan and he was screwed. As Beiste lifted him out of his chair and dragged him down the hallway all he could think about was Rachel. What was going to happen now that they had been discovered and outed and he was fired? Would she still want to be with him? _Could_ she still be with him? Figgins said he was lucky Rachel was of age but knowing her dads and their close relationship with the local ACLU lawyers, he was pretty sure they could find some charges and make them stick. Maybe he should go to jail for what he'd done. He felt like scum as he walked through the school and saw the faces of some students wandering around. Finn had fucked up royally and now he was finally paying for it. Beiste walked him all the way out to his car and told him if he stepped foot on school property again after he cleared out his classroom that evening she'd make him regret being born. Finn flinched as she cracked her knuckles and he quickly got in his car and sped off.

When he arrived home he fell onto his bed and let everything out. He hugged his pillow tightly and cried into it as he punched his headboard repeatedly until he could barely feel his hand anymore. Then the pain flooded him and he cried from what were surely broken bones. It didn't matter. He deserved the pain; he deserved so much more than that. Why did Rachel even love him? He was a disgusting pervert who'd taken advantage of a student, a child, and expected to get away with it. No, he didn't deserve Rachel's love. He was almost glad he got fired. Why should someone trust him with their children when clearly he couldn't control himself?

_But Rachel's different_ a little voice said in the back of his mind. The voice was right. Rachel had always stood out from the rest of the school. She was different and that was one of the best things about her, it had been what attracted him to her even if subconscious at first. Their relationship was unlike any other he'd had with any person. They connected on a level he'd never achieved with another human being. Before Rachel he'd never found attraction to a student. He always thought teacher's who preyed on their students were despicable but then he had the unfortunate chance of meeting Rachel in the most inopportune place and became one of those teachers. He didn't care though, Rachel was his soulmate. Whether he met her at school or the grocery store or in the middle of the street, wherever, he was destined to find her. That fact he was 100 percent sure of. It still didn't mean Rachel should be his. He wasn't worthy of being her soulmate. She deserved better, _needed_ better.

Slowly Finn cried himself to sleep as he held his broken hand to his chest, contemplating his next step as he drifted off.

Back at school, Rachel was coming up empty on options to get Jacob off her back without messing up things for her and Finn. She was so distraught as she walked to lunch after fourth period that she didn't even notice all the stares and glares being thrown her way as she walked. It wasn't until she entered the cafeteria and ran into the wall that was Noah Puckerman and the other football Neanderthals that she realized there was a problem.

"'Sup Berry?"

"Why are you talking to me?" Rachel asked nervously. Noah Puckerman hadn't spoken to her other than to degrade and torture her since she rejected his advances at temple in 8th grade when she developed her boobs.

"You know, I've been having some trouble in English lately. I was thinking maybe you could tutor me since you seem to enjoy the subject and playing teacher so much. Or do you just enjoy playing _with_ the English teacher?" A cocky grin stretched across his face as the guys behind him snickered.

Rachel's heart stopped and her face paled as she understood what Puck was getting at. He knew. She didn't know how, but somehow Puck knew and so did the rest of the football players. Her eyes flitted around the cafeteria to see all the judgmental stares and looks of minor awe from her peers. It wasn't just the football player, _everyone_ knew. Tears welled in her eyes and her throat threatened to close as her breath became shallower. She backed up slowly as the whispers and eyes began to weigh on her and when she finally couldn't stand it anymore, Rachel turned around and bolted from the cafeteria only to literally run into Coach Beiste who had been looking for her.

All her defenses broke and the tears came as horrible sobs wracked her body. She clutched at Beiste for support as the woman helped her down the hallway to take her somewhere. Rachel wasn't listening as Beiste spoke to her. She could do nothing but cry as her feet barely worked to hold her up and move her forward.

When they finally made it to their destination, Rachel was passed from Beiste into her dads' arms. They hugged her tightly and brushed her hair out of her face to press a light reassuring kiss to her temple. Rachel didn't know why they were at school but she knew it couldn't be good.

She sat in her Daddy's lap continuing to cry as he asked the question he and Leroy were wondering. "Why exactly were Leroy and I called out of work in the middle of the day to come to our hysterical daughter's school? What is going on?"

Figgins folded his hands on his desk and looked at him sternly. "Sir, it has come to our attention that your daughter has been involved in a scandalous relationship with a member of our faculty. I felt it necessary to call you both in to explain that the faculty member in question has been dealt with."

"Dealt with?" Rachel cried out as she sat up in her Daddy's lap. "What's that mean?"

"Rachel, Mr. Hudson has been fired."

"Fired?" she squeaked out.

Hiram and Leroy shared a glance as their minds slowly processed what exactly was going on.

"Hold on a second," Leroy started, "I'm confused. Start from the beginning."

Figgins explained the events of the day up to the present and Hiram and Leroy sat stunned as Rachel steamed. How could Santana and Kurt do that to her? She didn't ask for much from either of them in this matter, just their silence and neither could deliver. She was about to storm out of the room to find them and tear them a new one until her father's hand clamped around her arm to keep her in place.

"Has a teacher been sexually abusing you?" Hiram asked with heavy concern.

Rachel quickly shook her head no. "No, Daddy, it's not like that."

"Rachel, a teacher has been taking advantage of you! Why wouldn't you tell us? I'm calling our lawyer," Leroy stated as he began pulling his phone out.

Rachel leapt out of her father's lap and whirled around to yell at them. "No! Dad you can't! It isn't illegal! I'm 18 and it was consensual. I love him!"

Both men were startled by her sudden outburst and confession of love until Hiram rebounded first. "There's no way our little baby would consent to-to-to have _sex_, especially with her teacher. You're too young for sex and know better than to get involved with an adult! Call the lawyer, Leroy."

"Would you two just stop it? You can't do this! Everyone keeps telling me Finn is taking advantage of me but he isn't! _I'm_ an adult and can make my own decisions. I'm not a baby anymore! Finn never pressured me. I pursued him! I love him and it's my fault that he got fired." Rachel started crying more as Hiram and Leroy looked at each other.

"Rachel, you are a child and don't understand-"

"No you can't do that! You can't play that game! You can't say I'm an adult then get angry when I act like one and try to tell me I'm a child again for your convenience! It doesn't work that way!" Rachel stomped toward the door but was again held back. "Let go of me! I need to find Finn."

"Rachel, you are not seeing him again!" Hiram barked loudly. Rachel froze at his anger. She'd never heard him yell so loudly at her before. "You do not know what you're getting involved in here! Your entire reputation is in danger if people find out about this."

"Everyone already knows. I don't care about my reputation in this stupid town! I care about Finn. Now let go of me!" She ripped her arm out of her father's grasp and opened the door before storming out. Before she could leave though, Rachel had to make a stop.

She marched into the cafeteria where all eyes were on her again and found Santana, Kurt, Blaine and Brittany sitting solemnly at their usual table. Kurt started when he saw Rachel stomping angrily toward them looking like she'd been crying. Before he could even begin speaking, Rachel was screaming at him.

"Why? Why would you do that? You promised me you wouldn't tell anyone then you go and back up _Jacob Ben Israel_? I know you were angry and disappointed in me but I never thought you'd betray me like this." Kurt opened his mouth to apologize but was cut off when Rachel turned her fury on Santana. "And you! You promised me you would leave him alone until after this week was over! I was handling the situation just fine!"

"Oh really?" Santana stood and crossed her arms over her chest. "You think submitting to that creep _again_ was handling it? He molested you and would have done it again because you were so concerned for Finn that you seemed to forget about yourself."

"I was handling it!"

"Save it, Rachel. I did you a favor."

"A favor? Finn got fired because you couldn't keep your temper in check."

Santana scoffed and shook her head. She was up for helping Rachel out with her secret and had done the best she could but now she was being viciously attacked and she would not stand for it. "I cannot believe you're blaming me for this. _Finn_ got fired because he couldn't keep his dick in his pants when it came to his students. _Finn_ got fired because of Finn. I was defending _you_ because you're my friend. I don't care about Finn."

"Well obviously you don't care about me either otherwise you would have kept your promise."

Kurt stood and interjected, "Rachel, Santana didn't do anything wrong. You said you're old enough to make your own decisions and so is Finn. He made the choice to start a relationship with you and now he's suffering the consequences of that. He's an adult and needs to own up to his mistake."

Rachel couldn't believe what she was hearing from her supposed best friend. How could she have so poorly misjudged him and thought him a worthy friend? "The only mistake Finn made was believing me when I told him you all could be trusted. Clearly I was mistaken." Rachel turned to storm off but Santana gripped her arm.

"Rachel, wait, I'm sor-"

"Save it!" she spit back at her, rage flashing in her eyes as she ripped her arm from Santana's grasp. Rachel was aware that the cafeteria had gone completely silent and every single person, including faculty and staff, were staring at them with rapt attention. "Don't worry; from now on you won't have to concern yourselves with ever keeping any secrets for me again. We're done here."

"Rachel," Kurt called to her retreating form getting nothing in response from her.

Once free of the stifling school, Rachel ran to her car and took a moment to absorb what had just happened. Her relationship with her English teacher boyfriend had just been exposed thus getting Finn fired and damaging his career irreparably, her fathers were trying to make her the child victim and put her boyfriend behind bars, and she had just severed ties with all her friends since all of them were petty snitches who only cared about themselves.

She needed to see Finn and apologize for everything. It had all been her fault. She had pursued him and made it so difficult for him to say no that he couldn't then made everything even worse by falling in love with him so completely that she couldn't even envision her life without him in it. His job would have never been in jeopardy if she could have hid them better and he never would have lost it if she hadn't put her trust in her so-called friends.

Rachel started the car and peeled out of the parking lot before someone could find her there and keep her from leaving. When she got to Finn's it took him a minute before he opened the door with a bloodied hand and red-rimmed and puffy eyes. He looked a wreck and it just made Rachel cry even harder.

She threw herself into his arms and held on so tight she was afraid he might not be able to breathe. He closed the door and just held her back, neither moving nor saying anything as they took comfort in each other. Eventually, Rachel released Finn minimally to look up into his face.

"I'm so sorry, Finn."

He brushed his hand over her hair and wiped away a fat tear that began running down her cheek. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Rachel. I'm sorry I got you into this mess. This is my fault. I knew better but I let it happen anyway because I was selfish and reckless…"

"But I pushed you into it. If I hadn't been so persistent you never would have given in."

Finn chuckled darkly. "Rachel, I'm a grown man. I think I could have fought off your advances if I had really wanted to." He paused and closed his eyes before speaking softly, "But I didn't want to." He opened his eyes again and looked at Rachel, unblinking. "This is not your fault. It's mine. I'm the adult-"

"I'm an adult too! Why doesn't anyone take that into account?"

"Because I'm your teacher and you're in high school. If I were a mechanic or plumber or something this wouldn't be an issue, but I'm your teacher…well, I _was_ your teacher." He stepped away from Rachel and sank down onto his couch to hold his head in his hands until he remembered the one was jacked up. He took in a sharp breath of pain and Rachel was instantly at his side, taking his hand and observing it.

"What happened?"

"I punched my headboard…a lot." He winced again and Rachel got up to get some supplies to clean the blood off and bandage his hand until he could get to a doctor. Neither said anything as she took care of him. Once she was finished, Rachel lightly pressed her lips to his bandages. "I don't deserve you," he said just above a breath.

"No. I don't deserve you." She stared into his eyes, hers wide and glistening with unshed tears. Even after all the crying she had done, Rachel was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever known.

Finn snorted. "Sometimes I really wonder why you love me."

"I wonder the same thing."

They stared at each other until Rachel stood up and put her hand out for Finn's good one. He stood and followed her to his bedroom, closing the door behind him. She stopped them next to his bed and went up onto her toes to give him a simple kiss which soon turned into a deeper, impassioned one, their tongues tickling each other between tiny nips and sucks on the other's lips.

Soon Finn was helping Rachel out of her dress as she unbuttoned his pants and tugged his shirt off. Rachel skimmed her fingers over the wide span of his chest and pressed light open mouthed kisses to his skin as he unhooked her bra and let the material slip away from her skin. He picked her up then and laid her flat on the bed, drinking in the sight of her wearing only her pink and white panties.

She really was more than he could ever be worthy of and it felt like a privilege to be allowed to love her when he so clearly shouldn't be. He should stop them and tell her to leave, to find someone better who won't humiliate her and ruin her reputation and relationships with everyone she cares about, but he can't because he's too selfish and he might break if he couldn't have her. Though he knows how wrong it is, he can't stop himself from making love to Rachel then. After all, they may not have had much time left together now that the world knew.

They take their time exploring each other's bodies until neither can stand the throb of want they have for each other. Finn removes Rachel's panties and he shimmies out of his own boxers before settling between Rachel's parted thighs. He kisses her lips first then moves up her jaw to just under her ear before beginning down the side of her neck. When he reaches the junction of her neck and shoulder Rachel's hand slides down his side and over his hip to reach his length. She lightly caresses his smooth shaft and guides him inside her. Her back bows as he sinks into her as far as he can go and they both make sounds of desire and absolute bliss as they make love to one another.

It's slow and drawn out, neither wanting to go faster for fear that it would all be over too soon. He looks into her eyes the entire time and can't help but notice the tears pooling in them. As he thrusts into her again, her head tilts back and she lets out a small whine and tightens her walls around his girth and her legs around his body. Their bare chests are already pressed as close together as physically possible but it doesn't stop Rachel from pulling him even closer, trying to force them together into one body. Honestly, he wouldn't mind if he dissolved into Rachel and just stayed there. He couldn't think of a better person to share a body with.

All too quickly, Rachel is coming apart underneath him and he follows soon after, spilling into Rachel. He shivers as he presses his forehead against Rachel's and refuses to pull out. He doesn't want to leave her because once he does then it means it's over. A huge sense of terror washes over him and he just hugs Rachel tighter. She doesn't seem to mind as her hands run through his hair and she kisses his cheek.

Though he hasn't said anything, Rachel understands why Finn is so reluctant to let go. Everything has changed now and not in the way they planned. Finn was supposed to leave McKinley on his own with his reputation still intact and Rachel was supposed to introduce him to her dads gently and Kurt was supposed to come around and support her and make up, but none of that happened. Instead it all got muddled and crazy and now everything was wrong. The only thing that felt right was being in each other's arms and if they couldn't have that, absolutely everything was lost.

She can't let him go, not now, not ever.

It was when they were drifting almost peacefully off to sleep that they were forced apart finally by Hiram and Leroy Berry bursting into Finn's bedroom loudly and completely unannounced. Rachel shrieked as she tried to cover herself and make it not seem like she'd been caught post-coitus with her boyfriend whom her fathers most definitely did not approve of.

She'd never seen her father so incensed but he was livid as he reached for Finn to strangle him. Finn managed to escape his grasp but he fell to the floor with a thud and without clothing. Rachel stood up on the bed, wrapping the sheet around her body to block her Daddy from trying to lunge at him again.

"Daddy, stop it! Please, stop!" she screamed at him, hysterically trying to protect the man she loved from being murdered.

"Rachel, get your clothes on and get to the car now!" Hiram yelled at her, trying to get around her again. Finn managed to climb into his closet and shut the door giving Rachel a chance to calm her father down.

"Daddy, please, you're overreacting."

"Overreacting? Overreacting was punching my fist through the wall when I heard Taylor Swift was offered the role of Eponine in the new _Les Mis_ movie. _This_ is not overreacting! This is-is normal reacting! A thirty year old man is defiling my baby and all that happens is he gets fired? Not acceptable. Now get dressed!"

"Number one, Daddy, while I do enjoy a good Taylor Swift song she does not have the vocal range for such an important role as Eponine so I understand your frustration as I share it with you and two, Finn is only 24, not thirty."

Hiram did not look happy. "Yes, that makes me feel so much better about my only little girl's English teacher deflowering her."

"He didn't deflower me!" Rachel announced thinking that would somehow make everything better.

"What? You had sex before him?"

"That's not important right now. You just need to calm down."

Leroy spoke up then. "Rachel, could you please just put some clothes on. I promise we'll discuss this calmly and rationally with you if you just get dressed and come home."

Rachel looked back at the closet which was firmly closed then back at her dads. "Could you step out of the room please?" she asked politely.

"Oh no…no, no, no, no, we are _not_ leaving you alone in this room with him!" Hiram barked. Leroy grabbed his arm and pulled him from the room closing the door behind them. She could hear the squabble going on through the door and quickly hopped off the bed to lock it.

Rachel walked over to the closet and tapped on the door. "Finn? It's okay. They're out of the room now." The door cracked open and Finn poked his head out to make sure the coast was clear before completely exiting in a t-shirt and some sweatpants.

He gulped nervously before speaking. "You need to get out of here, Rachel, before your dad really does kill me."

"I don't want to leave you."

"Rachel, you won't. I'll still be here." His voice was shaky as he spoke because for some reason he didn't entirely believe himself. Somewhere deep down he felt like things wouldn't be as easy as they were, not that they were even easy then. "I promise. We'll make it through this."

Rachel hugged him tightly then went about getting dressed. When she exited the room ready to speak calmly and rationally like she was promised, she was ambushed and picked up off her feet and whisked through Finn's apartment and out the door, kicking and screaming the entire way.

That's when Finn found himself alone with Leroy Berry.

"You're lucky Hiram is more concerned with getting Rachel away from you than with kicking your ass at the moment. He's got a bit of a temper problem when older men take advantage of his teenage daughter." Finn gulped and glanced away from the intimidating man. "Don't think that I don't. I just tend to fuel my anger into more long term endeavors that produce longer lasting results. If I were you, I wouldn't plan on leaving town anytime soon." Leroy smiled menacingly at him before turning around and exiting Finn's apartment.

Finn stood there watching his door as the fear and panic rose in him. Yes, the shit had most definitely hit the fan and it had hit it hard.


	17. Forbidden

The fight with her fathers was epic and she'd honestly never seen them so furious. They said they weren't mad at her but they were disappointed which felt ten times worse.

"I'm sorry you feel like I disappointed you. I never wanted to but I can't help who I fall in love with."

"Rachel, you're only 18 and you've only had one serious boyfriend before. You can't know that you're in love," Leroy stated, angering Rachel.

"That is so unfair! Just because I'm 18 doesn't mean I don't know what love is and how it feels. I thought I loved Jesse but then I met Finn and realized that I never really did love Jesse and he never loved me. With Finn, I know it's real. He showed me what real love is," Rachel explained, trying to make them see how important Finn was to her and why they shouldn't get in contact with their lawyers.

Hiram rubbed his temple and spoke lowly. "You're both missing the point here. Who cares who loves whom? The point is that our baby girl's English teacher has been abusing her sexually and he needs to pay for it! Losing his career is not enough! He needs to suffer!"

"Daddy! He didn't abuse me! I chose to be with him because I love him. Whether he was my teacher or my dentist or our dry cleaner, he's meant to be with me! Finn is my soulmate." She smiled softly at her father, trying to make him understand. They had to understand and they couldn't do what they were trying to do.

"Rachel, we're calling Stan tomorrow and we're dealing with this Finn guy and you're not seeing him again, end of story."

Rachel continued to argue with her dads without getting anywhere until she switched up her tactic. Defending her relationship and convincing them of Finn's innocence was not working but perhaps putting some guilt on them would.

"You realize if you go through with your plan you'll be dragging me through the mud just as much as you will him? People will learn all about this and I'm not just talking about the people who read Jacob Ben Israel's blog. You know that everyone would eat up a story about a teacher sleeping with his student around the country. It could affect _my_ career down the line. Do you really want to put me through that? You're so concerned with punishing Finn that you aren't even thinking about what it will do to me. Aren't I your priority? Finn's already paid by losing everything he's worked towards in his career. He can never teach again and will be lucky if he can ever find a decent job because of why he was fired. Isn't that enough?"

Her fathers looked at each other and the thought seemed to sink in. She was right. Rachel would be put through hell if Finn was charged with anything, both in an actual trial if she had to testify and in her daily life. They had to keep the upper hand though to keep her from continuing to see Finn.

"You don't want us to fight him? Fine," Rachel tried to keep her absolute joy from overtaking her as her Daddy broke down, she could tell more was coming, "but Rachel, if you ever see him again…we will take action."

"Daddy, you can't-"

"Rachel, I'm not messing around. You _will_ _not_ see him anymore. I don't care if you think you're an adult. While you live under our roof, you will abide by our rules. If you break them…" he shook his head, "don't break them."

Rachel felt like she wanted to cry all over again. Her fathers were being so unfair. Finn wasn't her teacher anymore and she was an adult. So what if she was in high school? She was still old enough to know what she wanted and she wanted Finn. Her fathers couldn't tell her who she could and couldn't love.

"That isn't fair," she mumbled, staring at the floor.

"Well guess what, Rachel? That's life," Hiram yelled at her, startling her. "Now I suggest you go to your room and stay out of trouble and away from Finn Hudson." He narrowed his eyes at her and motioned for her to go up to her room.

Rachel started crying again and got off the couch to run upstairs. She threw herself down onto her bed once she made it into her room and cried until she fell asleep.

The next morning Rachel woke up feeling worse than ever. She had a headache, her eyes hurt and were blurry and she looked like a wreck. The last thing Rachel wanted to do was go to school. She didn't have the strength to face everyone and try to make it through the day. So Rachel went to find her fathers.

"I know you aren't happy with me right now but can I please stay home from school today? I promise I won't go anywhere or talk to anyone. I just can't deal with school right now," she stated, tears threatening, when she found them in the kitchen making themselves breakfast.

"This isn't some ruse is it?" Leroy asks skeptically.

Rachel stares at him, her jaw set angrily as her already sore eyes beginning spilling tears once more. "Does it look like a ruse?" she spits out.

"Go back to bed. You can stay home. You are not to leave the house, Rachel."

"Trust me, I don't plan on it." Rachel exited the kitchen and went back to her room. She wanted to curl into a ball and collapse in on herself but instead decided to take a shower. The hot water felt good on her skin and she wished she could stay in the shower where her problems didn't seem to exist but eventually she needed to get out. When she looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes were rimmed red, and it made her cry more.

She felt like she'd lost everything. Her friends were gone, her reputation was torn to shreds, her fathers were threatening her, she couldn't be with Finn…it was all almost too much to bear. But then her phone rang in her room and she walked out to get it. It was Finn.

"You aren't at school," he said when she answered the phone.

"My dads let me stay home. I just can't face everything I know I will have to right now. How do you even know that anyway? I would think you aren't allowed anywhere near the school anymore."

"I'm outside your house."

Rachel blanched at this piece of information. "Finn! My fathers will _kill_ you if they see you!" she hissed quietly into the phone. She put the phone on speaker and quickly threw on a robe as she continued her conversation.

"Your dads are gone. I watched them drive away from down the block. I just really needed to see you."

"Finn, this isn't such a good idea. My dads will not be pleased if they find out. They said there would be consequences…" Rachel chewed on her lip in worry.

"What difference does it make? They're already going to find a way to throw my ass in jail. If I'm going to end up there I at least want to see you before I go."

Rachel smiled despite herself and made a decision. "The door will be unlocked. Make sure no one sees you come in." She hung up the phone and ran downstairs to unlock the door. She waited there for him and when it opened, she couldn't keep the smile off her face. Finn strolled in wearing jeans and a t-shirt, his hand wrapped in white bandages, his hair a mess, and eyes rimmed red. He seemed to be handling everything just as well as Rachel.

Her lower lip quivered as her eyes filled with tears again and he pulled her in for a hug before holding her face and kissing her, sucking her bottom lip between his. "Let's go upstairs," Rachel said quietly when their kiss broke and she took his good hand and led him up to her bedroom. It was still weird seeing Finn in her room since they had only been there together once. Though their relationship had been exposed, it seemed even more forbidden for him to be there. Perhaps due to the ultimatum made by her fathers.

As Rachel pulled him into her room, she turned to face him and inform him of her fathers' choice. "They won't press charges against you. I made them realize it would be a mistake. You've suffered enough over this."

"Well, that's good right?"

Rachel shook her head before plopping down on her bed sadly. "They said I can't see you ever again and if I tried to…they didn't say what would happen exactly but I know it won't be good whatever it is."

Finn took Rachel's face in his hands. "Hey, look at me," he said when Rachel closed her eyes and let tears slip down her cheeks. She looked up at him once more. "Your fathers can do whatever they want to me. I don't care. I only care about you. They don't scare me." The corner of her lips turned up and Finn's face softened even more. "They can't keep us apart." He pulled her in for a kiss again but hissed as he pulled back.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked anxiously.

Finn just gave her a small smile. "Nothing. I just keep forgetting my hand is broken." He waved his hand a little and Rachel took it delicately in hers, pressing a kiss to his fingers.

"Did you go to the doctor?"

He nodded. "After I cleaned out my classroom I went to the ER. I spent a few hours there to find out my hand was broken."

"Violence isn't the answer, Finn…even if just against your headboard. Only you get hurt."

They both chuckled and Finn pressed another light kiss to Rachel's lips before pressing his forehead against hers. "I love you," he breathed out, rubbing his nose against Rachel's.

Silently, Rachel moved her hands to the waist of Finn's shirt and began pulling it off him. She needed to be as close to him as she could get in that moment. He got the hint and lifted his arms for her before pushing her back down onto the bed untying her robe. Rachel's hands worked on his jeans as Finn pulled apart the front of the white terrycloth. Their chests pressed together as Rachel pushed his jeans and boxers down and Finn kicked his shoes off before helping pull the robe from Rachel's body completely.

Rachel whimpered as Finn sucked on her throat, his tongue laving over her heated skin, before descending down to her clavicle. He moved lower pressing hot open mouthed kisses between her breasts before taking one into his mouth. Rachel's back arched as Finn tongued her nipple and tweaked her other between his fingers. He continued down her body, Rachel shaking the entire time from the anticipation, as Finn riled up her body with his mouth until he was at the apex of her legs. As he kissed her body, Finn glanced up to see Rachel's head thrown back as her body arched again. He smiled to himself and kissed lower until he was at her center.

Finn took his time working Rachel up, sucking on her clit gently, using his tongue to play with her, dipping his fingers ever so slowly inside her body. She writhed under him, her toes curling and her fingers grasping her sheets for dear life while he brought her to the edge. He slid a free hand up her body and held her breast as Rachel's hand found it. She slipped her fingers between his and her other hand came down to play with the hair on the back of Finn's head. Rachel glanced down at Finn and found him looking up at her. They both grinned until Finn pressed on her spot and forced Rachel's head to tilt back as she whined in indulgence as he continued to run his finger over it making her come undone.

As she came down, Finn delicately kissed her folds before slipping his fingers out of her body and making his way back up to her mouth, leaving a trail of kisses behind. He settled between her parted thighs and kissed Rachel tenderly as he pushed into her. Her legs wrapped around his body, ankles crossing one over the other to hold him there as he slowly moved his hips back and forth. Their tongues met as they kissed and Rachel's fingers smoothly caressed Finn's back while his hands slipped under Rachel's back to hold her.

They slowly made love to one another and after both were satiated for the time being, Finn rested on top of Rachel, his head on her shoulder as he kissed her dewy skin. She held him close, slipping her fingers through his hair, and turning to kiss his forehead.

"I love you, Finn. No matter what anyone says or does, I will always love you." He looked up into her eyes and gave her a little half smile before moving to give her a proper kiss. "What are we going to do, Finn? Everyone knows now and nothing happened the way it should've."

Finn pushed up onto his elbows and rolled off Rachel onto his side. She turned to look at him. "We made it work before. We'll continue to make it work until New York."

"My dads and the whole school didn't know before. The news is going to spread and my dads are going to keep a much closer eye on me now."

He turned onto his back and folded his hands over his stomach as he thought. "I don't know, Rachel. Maybe it's best to just lay low for now then when your dads calm down we can re-evaluate how to make this work. We _will_ find a way though." He gave her a reassuring smile and squeezed her hip before leaning closer for a kiss. "I love you."

A few hours later, Finn was cautiously exiting Rachel's to be sure no one would see him. They had decided to spend the week apart to assess how closely her fathers would be watching her and what damage there would be at school. When they arrived home they grilled Rachel intensely about what she had done all day and she replied easily that she had just spent the day in bed. It wasn't a lie really.

The next day at school was torture. As soon as Rachel stepped into the building the whispers and snickers started around her. Everyone stared at her as she walked through the halls to her locker where she found Santana, Kurt, Brittany and Blaine waiting for her. She pointedly ignored them as she opened her locker.

"You weren't in school yesterday," Kurt commented. "We were wondering how you were doing but you wouldn't answer any calls or texts." Rachel's phone hadn't even been turned on for the better part of the past 24 hours.

Santana sighed and pushed off the lockers she had been leaning against. "Come on, Munchkin, you can't just stop talking to us. We're your best friends and we care about you."

"Yeah, Rachel. Santana and Kurt didn't mean to get Mr. Hudson fired and ruin your life," Brittany added in to Kurt and Santana's annoyance.

Rachel finished grabbing her books and slammed her locker closed, walking away from her former friends without having even acknowledged their presence. When she arrived in homeroom all conversation in the room died. Even the teacher had stopped speaking with the student they had been talking to. It was going to be a long day.

By lunch Rachel was ready to break down. Everyone had either ignored her or ridiculed her. Noah Puckerman was particularly horrible in his treatment of her. He spent the whole period they were forced together sending her very sexual notes asking her 'from one hot Jew to another' if she'd like to skip next period and bone in an empty classroom since she's got such a thing for being the naughty school girl.

Instead of enduring more torment in the crowded cafeteria, Rachel opted out of lunch there and locked herself inside a bathroom stall. So far distancing herself from her peers in the silence of the bathroom had been working, until she heard the door open.

"God, can you believe Man-Hands? She got Mr. Hudson fired. She must have drugged him or something. How would a troll like her get a guy like him to even consider having sex with her? No wonder she knew so much about Mr. Hudson's girlfriend though, she _was_ his girlfriend. What a tramp…" the voice of Quinn Fabray announced from the direction of the sinks.

"Are you sure you aren't just the tiniest bit jealous? You did have a thing for Mr. Hudson after all," another girl Rachel didn't recognize said from next to her.

"There's a difference between fantasizing about those things and actually acting on them. It's just wrong what she did. Rachel ruined his career and made McKinley lose one of its best teachers then has the gall to show her face around here again? She should know better than that."

"Like you should have known better about sleeping with Puck?"

"Shut up! You said you wouldn't tell anyone about that!" Quinn hissed at the other girl.

"Would you relax? No one is even in here."

Rachel lifted her feet from the floor slowly to keep them from noticing her until the door opened and they left the bathroom. Then the sobs started again.

They were right. Rachel had ruined Finn's career. She was responsible for everything.

While Rachel self-loathed in the girls bathroom at school, Finn was waking up. When he made it home the day prior after leaving Rachel's he had been so distraught it led him to drink…a lot. When he finished the five cans of beer in his fridge and didn't feel shit he stepped it up to the tequila and whiskey he kept in the cupboard over the sink. He was sloshed and seeing triple by the time he emptied the Jack Daniel's and got halfway through the Jose Cuervo. Before passing out on his bathroom floor, Finn decided to give it all back to his toilet.

As he sat up his head spun horribly and his stomach lurched again. He just found the toilet again as he puked into it. When he finished, he wiped his mouth and pushed himself to his unsteady feet. He looked in the mirror at himself and snorted at his reflection. He looked like shit. His chin was covered in dried vomit, his breath reeked and his mouth tasted awful, there were burst blood vessels in his eyes as well as red rims around them, and he already had some stubble growing in.

Drinking had been a bad idea. It hadn't even dulled the pain.

He walked to the closet and pulled a towel out before pulling off his shirt and shucking his pants. A shower would make things better for now.

As he washed away the night prior, Finn thought about his options. He couldn't teach anymore which meant all the interviews he had lined up for positions New York would be pointless. Of course they'd find out about why he was fired and no one in their right mind would hire him. Even the chance of getting a non-teaching job would be difficult since most people probably wouldn't want to hire someone who had been fired for sleeping with his student. It was pretty frowned upon. There had to be something he could do for the time being until he got to New York and in New York there had to be options. It was the biggest city in the US; surely there was something there for him.

After his shower and downing a Gatorade, Finn started the job search. He was so engrossed in his task he didn't even realize how much time had passed until it was 3:30 and someone was knocking on the door. He put his laptop down and went to check who it was to find Rachel in his doorway.

"I know we said we'd wait a week to see how things would go but I can't wait a week. The only time I feel good is when I'm with you," she explained glumly as she walked into his apartment and removed her coat. Finn just nodded in understanding.

Finn led her to the couch and held her as she explained her day and how awful it had been. All her peers looked at her judgmentally, her teachers who usually only seemed to tolerate her seemed even more distant in the aftermath, as if they were trying to protect themselves like she would seduce them the way she had Finn, and so many of the guys at school seemed to think she was easy and catcalled her or worse. After she had run out of the bathroom to head to the stage where she could really be alone, Puckerman had cornered her on the stairwell and pressed her against the wall trying to get her to change her mind about hooking up with him. She didn't feel threatened by him but she was still entirely uncomfortable under his hungry gaze. Thankfully, Santana had come along and forced him to back off. Rachel still hadn't forgiven her but she was appreciative of the act anyway.

"Rachel, I'm so sorry this is happening to you. It's all my fault."

"It's not, Finn," Rachel tried to console him. "It's mine. You lost everything because I wanted you and wouldn't stop."

"I'm not arguing about this with you again, Rach. Listen to me," he held her gaze as he spoke to her, "don't you ever blame yourself for this. This isn't your fault, okay? I don't blame you. I'm to blame. We'll get through this, you'll get through this. High school is almost over and I can tell you from experience that 99 percent of the people you go to school with you will never see again once you graduate. Don't listen to anything they say, you're better than them. You're going to college in New York, the greatest city on Earth, and you're going to be a huge star and none of this will matter then."

Rachel's mouth twitched into a tiny smile. "And you'll be there with me the whole way, right?" Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, whether from happiness or sorrow, Finn couldn't tell yet.

He leaned his forehead against Rachel's and closed his eyes. "I'm your number one fan; of course I'll be there."

Rachel smiled broadly and wrapped her arms around Finn's neck before giving him a huge kiss. She couldn't shake the feeling that this had all been her doing but as long as she still had Finn, they could make it through.

For the next week and half, Finn and Rachel tried their best to see each other as much as possible but with her new very strict rules that had been implemented, it was near impossible for Rachel to get out of the house for any non-school related reason. Until one afternoon glee rehearsal was cancelled.

It would only be about an hour of time together but it was better than nothing. Rachel sped over to Finn's and was so excited to see him until he answered the door with an agitated air to him.

"Finn, what's wrong?" she asked him as she walked inside. He didn't answer as he sank down on the couch. "Finn, we only have 45 minutes. We shouldn't waste them not speaking to each other."

"I'm sorry, Rachel. I'm just…do you think maybe I can just get some space today?"

Rachel was shocked. He'd had space for nearly a week since she hadn't been able to find a way to see him. "Did…did I do something?"

"No. I just would like to be alone right now."

"Finn, please talk to me." Rachel sat on the couch next to him and placed her hand on his. He pulled it away. Realizing he wouldn't talk until he was ready, Rachel got up. "Fine. We'll talk when you're ready." She nearly made it to the door, feeling horrible, until Finn called her back.

He sighed deeply and set his jaw. "I had a job interview today. It wasn't anything big, just a clerk job to tide me over until we moved, and it was going well until they asked why I left my last job. I was honest and said I got fired and when I explained why…the guy said his daughter goes to McKinley and he heard all about what I had done. He was disgusted with me and threw me out of the building."

Rachel's mouth fell open in shock and horror. "Oh my God, Finn!" She was speechless beyond that.

Finn shook his head and stood up from the couch. "Can you please just go home? You shouldn't be here anyway."

Rachel stood up too. "Finn, I don't want to leave you alone."

"Would you just leave please?" he yelled louder, turning his fiery gaze on her.

"I know you had a bad day, but there are other jobs out there..."

"No there aren't, Rachel! This isn't the first interview that has ended badly that I've had this week! This just happened to be the worst one!"

She reached out to place a comforting hand on Finn's back but he knocked it away before heading for the kitchen. Despite the horrible hangover he'd had a week and a half earlier, he really needed another drink. He poured himself some scotch and downed it in one gulp before pouring more and going back to the living room.

"I'm sure there is someone-"

"Rachel, what part of 'no there aren't' aren't you getting? I fucked myself over when I decided to fuck you." He threw himself back down on the couch and covered his face with his hand.

Rachel felt like she'd been stung and reeled back. "Are you blaming me? Is that why you want me to leave?"

Finn looked up at Rachel and suddenly realized how that sounded. "Rachel, no, I'm not bl-" But it was too late, Rachel was already too upset.

"You said you didn't blame me for this."

Finn moved off the couch to comfort Rachel but she took a step back. "Rachel, that's not what I meant."

"I knew this was my fault but you promised me you didn't blame me." She started to cry again. "I'm going home now. Just like you wanted."

Finn tried to grab her and stop her and explain himself better but she already had her things and was stomping toward the door. "Rachel, I don't blame you and it isn't your fault. I'm just mad-"

"I'm mad too! I was stupid to think that you didn't blame me for this! Of course this is entirely my fault, why would I think you wouldn't blame me?" she said almost as if she were speaking to herself now. Then Finn realized she was just as mad at herself for what had happened as he was at himself. What did he have to say to get her to stop blaming herself for his mistake?

"Rachel, please don't be angry at yourself. This isn't your fault, how many times do I have to say that?"

"It doesn't matter what you say. How can I ever forgive myself for doing this to you? I was stupid to think that we could do this. How can you even look at me without hating me for what I did to you?"

"Because you didn't do anything, Rachel." He managed to place his hands on her arms and began rubbing them up and down. "I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at myself."

"For falling in love with me…"

"No," Finn practically yelled in her face. "I will never regret falling in love with you because you're bigger than everything else. I care about you more than anything. I'm just mad at myself for not doing things differently. For not putting us above my job and quitting the moment I decided to be with you. I was arrogant to think that I could get away with what we were doing without there being consequences. I'm paying the consequences now."

"I'm sorry, Finn, but no matter how much you want to take all the blame for this…I can't let you. All my life I've been driven and I always go for what I want and when I get going there's no stopping me. I wanted you."

Finn couldn't keep from smirking a little. "I wanted you too, I still do. So please, don't beat yourself up over this. It'll just make us both feel worse. Please?"

Rachel swallowed thickly and nodded her head. "Okay." She threw her body against Finn's and held him tightly in her arms. "I should go. I'm sure you'll find something eventually. You're too good not to."

He really wanted to believe Rachel but something inside told him it wouldn't be that easy. "I love you, Rachel."

"I love you too." She leaned up and pecked him on the lips before pulling away and going towards the door. "We'll find a way, Finn. I know we will." She gave him one last smile before opening the door and exiting the apartment.

When Rachel made it home she was surprised to find her dads' car in the driveway already. It was quite early for them to be home already. She checked her face in the mirror to make sure she didn't look like she'd been crying recently then exited the vehicle. When she walked into the house she found her dads and another man in an ADT uniform.

"What's going on?" Rachel asked wearily. Her fathers looked up to see her standing there then promptly went back to speaking with the man. Neither said anything to her until after they had shaken hands with him and let him leave. "A home security system?"

"It seems necessary," Hiram stated, walking down the hall to the kitchen. Rachel and Leroy followed him.

"Why?"

"Because you can't seem to keep promises anymore. We had a deal Rachel. No charges for you never seeing him again."

Rachel's blood stopped cold and she glanced back and forth between her fathers quickly. "But I…I…"

"Don't bother lying. We've been tracking you through your phone all day. We know you've just returned from seeing him again." Her Daddy smiled at her as he poured himself a glass of wine. "Isn't technology great?" He took a sip from the glass then his face fell.

"You'll still press charges against him even with all it means for me?" Rachel's voice was watery as she tried to keep more tears at bay. She couldn't seem to stop crying lately.

"No. Believe it or not, we actually love you and care about your well being which is why we're doing all this. That man is not good for you and is not your future, Rachel. Your future is New York and stardom, not some ex-school teacher from Lima…not a scandal. So, we've decided to keep an even closer eye on you."

Rachel looked to her Dad for some support. He hadn't said anything yet. "Dad, what is he talking about?"

Leroy didn't get a chance to answer before Hiram started speaking. "Here's how it's going to be, Rachel. You are to get ready for school as you would normally but instead of driving yourself there, your Dad will be dropping you off. You're to stay there all day, no skipping. We'll be tracking you on your phone and don't even think of trying to leave the phone at school, we have eyes everywhere, we'll know if you leave. Oh and speaking of the phone tracking, we can see all the calls and texts you make, so don't even think about trying to get a hold of Mr. Hudson. Then when school is over, your Dad will pick you up and bring you here, where you are to remain until the next morning when we repeat the routine. As you saw when you got home ADT was here. They installed a very new and reliable home security system that you will not know the code to. If you even try to open the door or a window without our knowing about it, we'll know about it before you have the chance to make it to the sidewalk."

Rachel paled as the unsettling feeling permeated her entire body.

"You clearly can't be trusted so we're taking action, just like we said we would." Hiram sipped on his wine again. "Now scamper on up to your room and do your homework. Dinner will be ready around six." He smiled at her and walked back toward the living room leaving Rachel and Leroy alone in the kitchen together.

"Dad, please, you…you can't do this! I love him. Don't you understand that? What if you were separated from Daddy? How would you feel?" Rachel pleaded with her Dad. She couldn't stand by idly while her dads fought tooth and nail to keep her from her soulmate.

"Rachel, it's just temporary until you realize that Finn isn't right for you."

Rachel's face darkened. "Then I guess I'll be locked in here forever because that will never happen," she spit at him before angrily storming past her Dad and up to her room slamming the door behind her and locking it. She pressed her back against the door and slid down it, breaking into huge sobs that wracked her body as she tried to hold herself together.

When they had said there would be consequences to breaking their rules she knew they would be dire but she never in a million years thought they'd take away all her freedom and imprison her in her own house.

Suddenly she felt very much like Rapunzel trapped alone in a tower waiting for her Flynn, or Finn as it were, to come and rescue her.

Unfortunately, her life wasn't a Disney movie. That would only be too fair.

* * *

><p>Only a few more chapters now.<p> 


	18. Taking Action

After Leroy and Hiram dropped a surly Rachel off at school the next morning, Hiram requested Leroy take a minor detour on the way to work.

"Where are we going?" Leroy asked when Hiram told him to take a left out of the parking lot instead of the usual right.

"It's time to implement the next phase of the plan. We're going to Hudson's."

Leroy snorted. "You sound like you're planning world domination. Don't you think we're going a little overboard with all of this?"

"Leroy, this is the only way to keep our baby on track. If we let her stay with him the next thing you know she'll be married and pregnant and dropping out of school, completely losing sight of her goals and dreams because she's _in love_. Rachel can't have some frivolous and doomed relationship messing with her. Not to mention how the circumstances of their relationship looks. I already heard people talking about it at the grocery store." Hiram placed his hand over his face dramatically.

"I just think this plan will do more harm than good. She'll resent us forever if we keep them apart. You know teenagers do the exact opposite of what you tell them to. She genuinely loves this man, or at least she thinks she does. Wouldn't it be better to let them run their course? She's off to college at the end of August where she'll meet new people and not be around Finn's influence. She'll realize it was just a phase and move on. She may think she's all grown up but she's still just a little girl. Rachel doesn't really know what she wants. Hell, at her age I was still dating women because I didn't fully understand my feelings toward men. There's no way she's going to want the same thing she wants today, tomorrow."

"You're talking crazy, Leroy. No, we stick with the plan. He needs to get out of her life and stay there. She'll be ruined if he doesn't."

They pulled up in front of Finn's apartment complex and entered the building quickly and quietly. Before knocking on the door Leroy asked Hiram if he was really sure he wanted to do this. Hiram just stared at him harshly as he knocked on the door. Moments later Finn answered looking disheveled, clearly having just woken up.

"Mr. and Mr. Berry, what are you doing here?" he asked cautiously, looking around them for a lawyer or a cop.

"We're here to have an adult conversation with you. As much as we'd both like to hit you, we'll refrain," Leroy answered.

Finn opened the door wider and allowed them both entry. "Are you pressing charges against me?" Rachel had said they wouldn't but they could have changed their minds. He motioned for them both to sit but neither made a move to so he remained standing as well.

"Not yet, but it's still early in the day," Hiram stated.

Finn gulped nervously. "If you don't mind, could you get to the point of why you're here then?"

"We want you out of Rachel's life…permanently. We want you to break up with Rachel and get out of town and lose all contact with her. She doesn't need you in her life." Hiram crossed his arm over his chest and tapped his lips with his fingers as he stared Finn down.

"With all due respect, sir, that's not really up to you to decide," Finn stated boldly, unknown confidence suddenly surging through him.

"Actually it is. Rachel is _our_ daughter and we know what's in her best interest, always have. _You_ are not what is in her best interest."

"Mr. Berry, how can you know what's in Rachel's best interest? You aren't Rachel. Only she can know that."

"Obviously you know nothing about parenting. Children always think they know what's best for them but they don't. They need guidance and nurturing and occasionally a swift kick in the rear."

"But you aren't guiding her. You're controlling her. Rachel is 18 and she's graduating high school in less than three months. She's an adult and she doesn't need you telling her what to do."

Hiram was trying to keep calm but the guy just wasn't getting it through his head that he needed to back off and get out of Rachel's life. "I've been trying to play nice and give you the opportunity to bow out gracefully but if you won't leave on your own, I'll make you." Finn narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "We have a close relationship with some of the best lawyers in this state. You already have a stink on you, we can increase that tenfold. I'll bet you've already had trouble finding work considering we had no problem finding you here not even out of bed on a weekday." Finn shifted uncomfortably as Hiram continued speaking. "How hard do you think it will be to get a job if you actually do go to jail for this, even if you somehow beat any charges we file against you, you still have the stigma of sleeping with a student on you. Everyone will know about it, not just in this state, but around the country, and believe me I'll make sure everyone in this country does know about it."

"Uh, Hiram, a word?" Leroy tugged on his jacket and pulled him a few feet away. "What about Rachel?"

Hiram lowered his voice as he looked between Finn and his partner. He grit his teeth as he spoke lowly, "He doesn't know about that. Just go with it." He moved back to his original spot.

"Look, even if you do put me through all this crap, that won't change how Rachel feels about me."

"Oh won't it? She's on her way to fame and stardom. You think she'd give that up for a convict? For someone who can't even get a job? You really think her career will flourish with you as an anchor dragging her down. No, I don't think so."

Though Finn didn't want to admit it, what they were saying was starting to resonate with him. Rachel said she loved him no matter what and she wanted him with her, but her dads were right. She was going to be a star. That fact was inevitable. How could he be worthy of that? Especially if he did end up going to jail? But no. As long as Rachel wanted him, he'd be there for her. He couldn't let her dads intimidate him.

"I know what you're trying to do and it won't work. Rachel loves me and as long as she wants me around, I'll be around for her. You can do whatever you want to me. I'm not scared."

Hiram and Leroy looked at each other and Hiram could see the determination fading from his eyes. This couldn't happen. They needed to break Finn and get him to realize he was going to do more damage being with Rachel than by leaving her. So Hiram made a snap decision.

"Fine, you want Rachel so much, you can have her."

"What?" Finn and Leroy cried at the same time.

"No, Leroy, they're in love. They want to be together, so be it. They can be together." Hiram turned back to Finn with a smile. "Yeah, you want Rachel, you can have her. She can move in with you and you two can have your life together. She's 18 after all, right? Rachel's an adult, she doesn't have to live with us anymore and Finn will take her in. Oh, but if you do, Rachel can forget about ever seeing us again because we won't have anything to do with her anymore. She can pay for college on her own; she can walk herself down the aisle at your wedding, when you two have your kids you won't have to worry about sending us pictures or even telling us because we won't really care."

"You're bluffing," Finn spit at him. "Not five minutes ago you were talking about her stardom and making sure she gets it. You wouldn't just willingly disown her."

Sensing what Hiram was doing, Leroy backed him up. "If Rachel really wants her fame she'll get it. She's a driven girl. It'll just be much more difficult if you're around keeping her back. Without us, I doubt she'll make it in New York. Even with you I doubt she could, but I guess we'll all see in a few years, right? So, if you'd like, you can come collect Rachel after she gets out of school. We'll give her a few minutes to pack a few things then you two can come back here to your little love nest and have your happily ever after. That's what you both want after all." Leroy turned to Hiram. "We should really get to work now, don't you think? You know without having Rachel around and having to spend our hard earned money on her tuition we can finally take that trip around Europe we've dreamed about. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"That sounds like a great idea, Leroy." Hiram looked back at Finn whose brow was lined in worry as he seemed to be thinking about everything they'd said. "So, Finn, nice chat! I guess we'll see you around 3:30ish?"

Leroy and Hiram both walked back to the door and exited the apartment leaving Finn alone with his thoughts. As they walked out to the car, Leroy voiced a worry.

"What if he realizes that we actually are bluffing? We would never disown, Rachel."

"We'll deal with it then, but something tells me this will work. It's for her, Leroy. Rachel can't have anything distracting her, especially not Finn. If he isn't gone by the end of the week, we'll do something."

Back inside his apartment, Finn was replaying everything that had just happened. First they threatened legal action against him again if he didn't leave Rachel and when that didn't work, they threatened to leave Rachel. Sure, they were probably bluffing, but what if they weren't? There really wasn't any way to be sure and he didn't exactly want to test them. He really didn't care what happened to him anymore, but he did care what happened to Rachel. He had been so focused on building himself up to take whatever the Berrys could throw at him directly that he failed to even think they'd get to him indirectly through Rachel.

He loved Rachel, of that he was certain, and he would always be there for her but…at what cost to her? What if her dads weren't bluffing and Rachel lost everything because of him and came to resent him and broke up with him and then she had nowhere to go because she wanted nothing to do with him anymore and had turned her back on her dads? How would she pay for college without them or shelter, food, clothing? It wouldn't have been as much of a problem if Finn had a job, but prospects were slim and he was living off his meager savings as it was now. He couldn't afford to take on the responsibility of another person at the moment. Plus, as much as he loved Rachel and wanted to be with her, could he really be responsible for tearing her family apart? He knew how much her dads meant to her. She loved them both dearly and maybe they were going through a rough patch now over him but they'd get over it eventually, right?

He just didn't know what to do anymore.

Feeling stifled and jittery, Finn decided to start with a walk. He threw on some sneakers and a hoodie, zipping it up completely and threw the hood over his head. Remembering his headphones, Finn picked a random playlist before heading out the door.

He walked for hours aimlessly, trying to lose himself so he wouldn't have to deal with the problem at hand. He loved Rachel, always would, but why did loving her have to be so difficult? Why couldn't she have been a twenty-something teacher instead of a teenaged student? Loving her wouldn't be a problem then. They could have dated openly – no secrets to hide – gone on real dates, spent the night together whenever they wanted, lived together, gotten married, had a family. But she wasn't a twenty-something teacher. She was an 18 year old ingénue on her way to bigger and better things than him. Her dads were right, he would drag her down. He could love her all he wanted but that wasn't going to do anything to make her dreams of Broadway happen.

From the moment he met her about a year ago, all Rachel had done was tell him again and again how she was going to college in New York and was going to make a name for herself on Broadway and beyond. She was sure of it. Rachel had wanted that for herself before she wanted anything else. Who was he to get in the way of that dream?

Finally, Finn seemed to have found himself at the high school. How he got there he wasn't sure. He hadn't been looking to go that way. Hell, he wasn't even allowed on the property again. Finn looked at the time on his phone at realized it was nearing the end of fourth period. It was ironic that he arrived right around the time he had been thrown out of the school.

"I must be out of my mind," he said to himself as he walked toward the door with the least amount of traffic around it. He knew for a fact the stoners liked to keep the door propped open to pop in and out of the school as he had caught a few of them from time to time. He just hoped none of them would be around now.

Finn found the door propped open by the usual brick and stealthily slipped inside. No one was around as he swiftly and quietly found his way to Rachel's locker. He had memorized her locker combination and once it was open, wrote Rachel a note to meet him up in the sound booth. No one ever went there unless there was a show and as the musical was well over, he knew it would be vacant. Leaving it right in the front of her locker, Finn closed the door quietly and stalked up to the sound booth.

Class had been miserable for Rachel all day. She had suffered through the usual torment only worse as they had done a partner assignment in AP Biology that day. The teacher had to force a group to take her as there wasn't an even number for doubles and even if there had been, Rachel was sure no one would have wanted to partner with her. She was a social pariah now, called a slut, bitch, tramp, whore; a whole bevy of names she probably hadn't heard.

Rachel sighed as she opened her locker but the bright purple paper folded on her text books with her name written on it caught her attention and brought her out of her sour thoughts. She looked around her before opening the note to find some nearly illegible chicken scratch telling her to go up to the sound booth this period. Her heart sped as she recognized the handwriting but she wouldn't dare let herself get her hopes up yet. After all, Finn couldn't be in the school. He'd for sure end up behind bars if he tried.

Rachel discarded her books and ran as inconspicuously as possible up to the sound booth and when she arrived found Finn sitting there alone in the dark. Her heart pounded in her chest as happy tears began to fill her eyes. She threw herself into Finn's arms and he hugged her back tightly, tears in his own eyes but for different reasons.

"You are so stupid for coming here," Rachel announced before kissing him deeply, "but I'm so glad you did. I've missed you so much it hurts."

"I miss you too, Rachel."

"You wouldn't believe the surveillance I've been under. My dads installed a home security system and are keeping the password from me so I can't try to sneak out. They drive me to and from everything and I'm pretty sure they have all my teacher's keeping tabs on me, they're tracking my phone and all my calls and texts. Not that I've really been calling or texting anyone since I'm still not talking to my friends and I haven't been able to get in touch with you." Rachel wiped some stray tears from her face as Finn pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "But you're here now." She kissed him again and tried to push things further by unzipping Finn's hoodie but he stopped her.

If he didn't do it now, he wouldn't ever be able to do it face to face.

"Rachel, can we talk." Rachel nodded her head quickly. "You know I love you and I always will…" He balled his good hand into a fist. This was killing him to do. "But…"

Rachel's face fell and her heart sank. "But what?" she choked out.

"This is just too hard, Rachel. I think we should break up."

"We knew it was going to be hard…I don't…Finn, why are you doing this?"

"Because I love you."

Rachel was near hysterics in seconds flat. "You're breaking up with me because you love me? Do you realize how fucking stupid that sounds?" she shouted at him, her eyes burning with tears.

"I know, but Rachel…"

"No, Finn. I won't _let_ you break up with me. I know this will be hard and may take some time but I will make my dads come around. We will make this work and we will be together."

"Rachel, you're living in a cage. You're a prisoner in your own home where your dads are the wardens. I fucked up your life and your relationship with your dads because I'm a fucking selfish prick. You deserve better and you're going to get it in New York." Rachel was full on sobbing now as she tried to speak but only more sobs came out. "I love you more than I could ever love anything…but we can't be together."

"But you promised me you would always be with me! You said you wouldn't let my dads scare you! You promised me!" she screamed at him.

"I will be." He held her close and pressed his hand over her heart as he kissed the top of her head. "I'll be here."

"You aren't fucking dying, Finn," she growled out. "You can actually _be_ with me but you're choosing not to. Finn, please, don't do this! I'm begging you, I'm begging for you not to leave me alone."

He really wanted to scoop Rachel up in his arms and tell her he'd never leave her then take her away and never look back, but he couldn't. If he stayed, she'd continue to live like an animal under her dads' watchful eyes and he'd end up on the street or in jail and if he took her away from them, she'd lose everything she had worked toward and her family. He knew what it felt like to lose it all because of your mistakes. He couldn't bear to be the mistake that cost Rachel everything.

"I'm so sorry, Rachel."

"No, Finn." Rachel wiped some tears away and smiled, trying to solve their unsolvable problem. "You're just distraught because of the situation, but it will get better. My dads can't control me forever. Soon, we'll be in New York and they can't touch us there. Finn, please, just be patient and everything will work out. Just please don't break up with me. This can't be what you really want."

Oh how right Rachel was. He wanted so bad to explain what her dads had threatened earlier but he couldn't bring himself to paint them as even worse guys. They were her dads after all and despite their crazy way of showing it, they loved her and did want what was best for her. Her relationship with them was already tainted and even though he wasn't a fan of theirs, Rachel loved them and he couldn't destroy their bond.

Finn hugged her tightly once more and gave her a soft lingering kiss. It was bittersweet, both the best feeling he could imagine, yet the worst because he knew it would be the last time he'd ever get to kiss her.

"I love you, Rachel." He released her and tried to ignore her pulling on his hoodie as he exited the room without looking back at her. She followed him out of the room still pleading for him to change his mind but he didn't acknowledge her cries which were getting further and further away as he went.

He didn't let himself cry until he was back in his apartment. He wanted to break everything but thought better of it when he saw his hand still wrapped up. Instead he ripped every bag he owned out of his closet and began haphazardly throwing his things into them. He threw his shit in his car and started driving north to Toledo only making one stop at the post office before hopping on the interstate. He'd go back to get the rest of his stuff later but he needed to get out of Lima now before he went insane.

When he arrived on his mom's doorstep unannounced she was rather shocked by his presence. She offered him something to drink not fully understanding what was going on but all he could do was fall into her arms and begin crying like a little boy. She led him to the living room and he spent the next hour explaining everything that had happened from the beginning, sparing only the more intimate details of his actual relations with Rachel.

Carole was completely floored by what her son was telling her. She was shocked, awed, appalled, disgusted, angry, and a plethora of other emotions.

"Finn, I don't understand why you would do such a thing! How…I-I just…"

"I'm sorry, Mom. I screwed up."

Carole was truly speechless as she held Finn's head to her chest like she did when he was younger. Though he was a man now, he still seemed so much that little boy crying over a scraped knee.

Back in Lima, Rachel had skipped her afternoon classes, leaving her phone at school so her dads couldn't track her whereabouts immediately. She ran all the way to Finn's only to find no one there. She banged on the door and yelled for him until her throat was raw before collapsing to the floor and pressing her forehead against the door, weeping silently. By the time her Dad found her there, she wasn't sure how long she had been sitting in front of the door that way. He helped her out to the car and neither said anything as they went home. Her Dad didn't even seem angry that she had skipped school to find Finn, he seemed sad that she was sad.

When they arrived home, Rachel immediately ran up to her room and continued to cry over Finn ending their relationship. She felt like her heart had been torn out and ripped into a million tiny pieces and scattered to the wind. One moment she'd be hyperventilating then the next crying harder than ever as she drooled and snotted all over her pillow; her emotions were in grave turmoil. Her Daddy tried to bring her water to help make her feel better but she turned away from him and when he tried to touch her she ran into her bathroom and locked the door behind her.

For two days Rachel was catatonic with grief over everything in her life going horribly wrong. The only thing she had to look forward to was school in New York and even that had lost some of its appeal. Rachel had built up the idea of Finn being there with her so much in her head that it seemed wrong to imagine the city without him. It didn't matter what she thought about, everything reminded her of Finn and everything hurt. She just couldn't understand why if he loved her so much and had promised her he would never leave her, why he would do just that. He didn't seem like the type to just give up completely when the going got rough. Rachel knew he wasn't. It just didn't make sense.

It took her two days to decide to stop wallowing and get to the bottom of the mystery that was Finn leaving her. She pulled herself together and changed out of the pajamas she had worn to school that day, not even bothering with her appearance. After all, who was there that she needed to impress at this point? She couldn't even attempt an escape from school to visit Finn as she was now being escorted everywhere. As she descended the stairs, she could hear her fathers talking…talking about her and Finn.

"Hiram, this is serious. She hasn't left her room other than to go to school in two days and she's worn the same pajamas to school both days. She hasn't spoken to us since we put her under house arrest. She's falling apart and it's our fault."

"Our fault? He's the one who broke up with her. That's what we wanted and we got it. She'll get over it eventually."

Leroy sighed, "He broke up with her because of our threat."

"Which was the point." Hiram paused for a moment, "Leroy, he is wrong for our baby and clearly he doesn't love her as much as he claimed. If he really did, he would have shown up to collect her when we said she could move in with him."

Rachel gasped quietly to herself as she stood on the stairs out of view of the living room. Her fathers had spoken with Finn? That must have been what shook his confidence in their relationship. But what had they said? And did she hear her father correctly when he said she could move in with Finn?

Of course! How had she not seen that solution to their problem earlier? Maybe her dads were right about her not quite being an adult yet. An adult would have come to the decision to move out immediately, an adult would have taken charge of her life and told her fathers she wouldn't bow to their rules and demands, and they couldn't very well dictate her life and use that 'as long as you're under our roof' line on her if she wasn't under their roof. Legally, yes, she was an adult, but on so many levels she still thought like a kid.

But not anymore.

Rachel was going to take charge of herself and move out of her dads' house and in with Finn. She didn't need her dads to take care of her anymore. But wait, they had told Finn she could move in with him yet he still broke up with her… Why wouldn't he jump at the chance to have her to himself? That was what they had been discussing practically from the beginning? What was going on?

Anger building in her again, Rachel stomped down the remaining few stairs to alert her fathers to her presence. Their faces lit up that she had exited her room finally until she began laying into them.

"What did you say to Finn to make him break up with me? Don't bother denying it! I heard everything you just said from the stairs. Tell me what you said…now!" she barked loudly at them.

"Rachel, sweetie, calm down."

"I will not calm down! _You two_ are the reason Finn broke up with me and I demand to know why, now!"

Hiram stood up from the couch as he tried to reason with Rachel. "Sweetie, we simply explained to Finn why it would be in both your favors to go your separate ways. He agreed that it was for the best to break things off."

"You're lying. Finn would never leave me without a very good reason." Rachel crossed her arms over her chest defiantly.

Hiram smiled at her but instead of comforting her, it only served to piss Rachel off more. "Perhaps he didn't feel as strongly for you as you thought."

"Finn loves me, I know he does. What did you threaten him with?" Her temper was rising and if she didn't get some answers soon she wasn't sure what might happen.

"We told him we were going to press charges and he backed off," Hiram lied.

"Was that before or after you mentioned that I could live with him? What's the real reason? There has to be something more because he would not turn that offer down!"

He stared her down darkly but didn't say anything.

"Fine." Rachel turned on her heel and ran upstairs to her bedroom. Seconds later her fathers entered her bedroom behind her.

"What are you doing?" Leroy asked when he saw Rachel searching in her closet.

"I'm leaving."

"Where do you plan on going exactly?" Hiram asked, not believing for a second she would actually leave.

"I'm going to Finn's and living with him so I can be free of you."

Hiram just started laughing at her. "I'd rethink that decision if I were you." Rachel looked at him as she threw her suitcase on her bed. "If you walk out that door, you're dead to us." She stopped what she was doing as Leroy looked seriously at Hiram, not believing he was going there with _Rachel_. "That means no money for anything from us which means you can kiss college goodbye since I doubt Finn can afford it for you, hell, he can't even afford the apartment he is in anymore. How do you expect to live in New York when he can't find employment anywhere due to his unethical actions with you?"

Rachel looked up at her dad with tears in her eyes. She had a choice to make. She could sell Finn out for a trip to college in New York or she could assert herself and get her man and make her own way to Broadway somehow. Finn had told her countless times that fame was inevitable when it came to her. All she had to do was make it to New York and she could easily find work due to her immense and impressionable talent. While she knew it wouldn't be as easy as Finn believed, somehow she knew he was right. She could make her dream come true and she didn't need her fathers' money to do it. She would do it on her own terms.

She turned her head back to her suitcase to unzip it. "If that's what you want." Rachel moved to her closet and pulled out a bunch of her dresses and began haphazardly folding them and placing them in her suitcase.

As Rachel flitted around her room stuffing her bag with her things, Hiram's entire demeanor changed as he realized his plan was backfiring. Leroy glared at him, clearly blaming him for all of this mess.

"Uh, Rachel…" Hiram had to do some serious damage control to get his daughter back before she really did try to find Finn and give up everything for him. "You realize by 'dead to us' we don't just mean monetarily. If you leave, we don't want anything to do with you. If your relationship with Finn fails, we won't take you back. We won't sit on the phone with you after a bad audition or grade, we won't be there to congratulate you when you get a part or a solo." Rachel took a moment to consider this, glancing back at Hiram quickly, raising his hopes that he was getting through to her, but continued on packing her bags. "And if by some travesty your relationship with Finn succeeds, we won't be there to walk you down the aisle like you _always_ pictured, we won't be Grampy and Papa to your kids…we won't be anything to you."

Rachel looked back at them and bit her lip as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "If that's how you feel then so be it." She couldn't believe she was going to lose her fathers but it was their choice to disown her. Just like they couldn't force her to stop loving Finn, she couldn't force them to let her have it both ways. "Honestly," she wiped a tear as she zipped her bag closed and pulled it off her bed, "if you can't accept who I love and want to spend the rest of my life with…then why would I even want you to be a part of my family? If you really cared, you wouldn't make me choose between the fathers who raised me to think independently and not take shit from anyone and my soulmate. I'm sorry, Dad, Daddy, but I'll choose Finn every time, because no matter what I do, he would never treat me the way you are." She pulled the handle of her pink suitcase up and started for the door.

She had just pushed past her dads when Leroy made a last ditch attempt.

"Rachel…" She paused briefly and continued walking out of her room until he spoke again. "Finn wrote you a letter." Rachel whipped her head around.

"What? Are you not going to give it to me unless I promise to stay and forget about Finn? Well, forget it! I'm about to go see him now, I don't need a letter!" She started walking again but Leroy followed her.

"You can have the letter…no strings attached. I just don't think you're going to like what it has to say." He handed her the letter that had been mailed from Lima without a return address two days earlier. The day that Finn had broken up with her.

Her eyes started tearing up as she pulled the letter from the previously opened envelope; obviously her fathers had been reading her mail. She opened the simple piece of lined paper and choked at the sight of his messy scrawl on the page.

_Rachel,_

_I've written this letter a few times now but nothing I write makes this any easier. I just really needed to explain myself better than I did earlier. Please know that I do love you, so much. I always will. I mean that. I'm not leaving you because I want to, but because I have to._

_You are the most amazing person I've ever known and you're going to be a star, the brightest one ever, and you deserve better than a disgraced school teacher who will never amount to anything. I'll dim your star and drag you down and I can't bear the thought of knowing I ruined your future and career and your life. You're going to graduate high school, you're going to go to college and take over Broadway, you're going to win a bunch of Tony Awards, you're going to meet someone else who is worthy of you and you're going to marry him and have a family with him and you're going to forget about me._

_What you aren't going to do is look for me. You won't find me. I left Lima and I won't be back. Don't call me, don't look me up on Facebook or try to email me. You don't need me in your life fucking everything up. You don't need me coming between you and your dads. You don't need me coming between you and college and Broadway. You don't need me._

_So please just forget about the past few months like they never happened. Make up with your friends and enjoy your last few months of high school like a normal kid then go to college and __party like a normal college student then live a normal and happy life._

_I love you, Rachel._

_Finn_

_P.S. Mr. and Mr. Berry, congratulations. You got what you wanted._

Rachel read the letter so many times she couldn't even count anymore. Her dads watched her silently, trying to gauge what her reaction would be while she processed the content of the letter.

No, no, no, no, no, no, this couldn't be real. There was no way it was real. It had to be a trick her dads were playing on her to make her rethink her decision to leave. It didn't matter that it was Finn's handwriting, there was no way Finn had written this letter.

"Rachel, I'm so sorry," Leroy started. "It came in the mail this morning. Finn's gone, Rachel."

Rachel just shook her head in disbelief as her lower lip quivered and tears welled again. "No. He couldn't have left. He didn't leave," she protested weakly, trying to convince herself more than her dads.

"Baby, Finn left."

"He didn't leave!" she burst before turning and running down the stairs.

She searched through the junk drawer in the kitchen for her spare car key to see if perhaps her fathers had forgotten about it. She couldn't believe she had forgotten about that ever since having her usual car key ripped from her hands. By some miracle it was hidden in the back of the drawer. She made it to the door and ripped it open just as her dads came down the stairs. The alarm blared loudly as Hiram frantically tried disarming it and Leroy followed Rachel out the door. She made it to her car before Leroy could stop her and like a bat out of hell, tore out of her drive way and proceeded to Finn's.

He didn't really leave her alone in Lima and she was going to prove it.

* * *

><p>Don't kill me too hard.<p> 


	19. Gone

There was no way Finn was really gone. He couldn't leave her; he loved her! Rachel didn't care if her dads cut her off. She didn't need them and their money to be happy, especially if they wouldn't support her. Why would she want the approval of men who didn't understand or care about her wants and needs? Yes, of course she still had her drive and ambition for New York and Broadway, but now she wanted so much more on top of that. She wanted her true love and she was going to get him back. He couldn't have taken off without a trace.

Unfortunately when Rachel arrived at his apartment no one answered the door. On the off chance it would be open Rachel turned the knob on the door and found that it was unlocked. She walked into the apartment, calling Finn, but his name died on her lips at what she encountered.

Empty. Nothing. Gone…

The entire place was empty, not even a hint that Finn had ever been there. It didn't even smell the same anymore. Tears filled her eyes as she walked through the apartment which seemed alien without all of Finn's furniture spread throughout. She walked into his bedroom to find a shell of the place she had spent so many great afternoons and nights. Where she and Finn had been able to escape the reality of their situation and just be Finn and Rachel without pressure or complication.

She wrapped her arms around her body tightly, trying to hold herself together, as she looked down at the indents in the carpet where the bed used to be. She closed her eyes and remembered the first time she had been there.

_Rachel was nervous. Sure they had already had sex and in his classroom no less, but this was a new level. He had brought her back to his place. It had taken weeks for Jesse to even consider letting Rachel over to his house. Finn found the key to his door and opened it to allow Rachel to enter first. She stepped over the threshold after giving him a small smile and examined her surroundings._

_The place was a total bachelor pad but she supposed that made sense as Finn was in fact a bachelor. His entertainment center was pretty awesome and had four different gaming systems hooked up to it, his couch was a little shabby but looked very comfortable, and the rest of his furniture didn't really match either. The walls were covered with framed movie and band posters and she noticed he had a full drum kit situated in the corner. He had told her he played but she didn't realize he had the set right in his living room._

_She unbuttoned her coat and pulled it off as she turned around to ask Finn about a place to hang it up when he stepped closer to her after locking his door. His eyes were heavy with lust and his mouth twitched into a smirk as he placed his hands along her jaw. Rachel closed her eyes as she accepted the kiss Finn placed on her lips and her hand came up to hold his cheek._

_As he pulled away he spoke, "Let's go to the bedroom."_

_Rachel nodded and her face flushed as Finn took her hand in his and led her toward a door on their right. The only thing Rachel noticed about the room was the large unmade bed in the middle of it. She licked her lips as Finn dropped her hand and went back to close his bedroom door. Her fingers brushed along the soft top blanket as she felt Finn's warm and encompassing presence come up behind her. Her breathing became shallow, her chest rising and falling gently, while Finn's hands pulled her shirt from the waist of her skirt to run along her stomach underneath it. Rachel's head fell back onto his shoulder and his lips pressed against her neck._

_As Finn started pulling Rachel's shirt off, she undid his belt, button, and fly from behind before slipping her hand inside his pants. He shoved her skirt down her legs then slipped his hand inside the front of her panties to caress her silky folds. She ground her ass into his hips, rubbing her body and hand along his length as his fingers slid in and out of her until Finn removed them and whispered into __her ear._

"_Have you ever been fucked from behind?" he asked in a deep voice._

"_No. But I'm willing to try…" she replied, biting her lip cheekily._

_Finn took a moment to remove his clothes then slipped his fingers into Rachel's panties at her hips and pushed them down. She glanced back at him, her hands running up and down his sides as he walked them closer to the bed and bent her over._

_As Rachel laid on her stomach on the bed, she took in a deep breath and could smell Finn on the sheets. It was a pleasant scent and she found herself getting lost in the softness of the linens and the manly musk of Finn until she felt Finn thrust inside her. She let out a little whine as Finn began gliding in and out of her, his hands on her lower back and upper thigh._

_The bed shook with every thrust and the only sounds were Finn's grunts and Rachel's moans and cries of 'Finn'. Both were so hot it didn't take long for either to achieve orgasm and this time, neither made a fuss about getting dressed quickly._

_Finn threw himself down on the bed next to Rachel, who had scooted up toward the pillows on her stomach still, and stared at his ceiling in awe. Rachel just chuckled at him, gaining his attention._

"_What?" He gave her a smile._

"_You look so amazed right now…like you've just had a religious experience or something."_

"_Well, technically we do know each other in the biblical sense now."_

_Rachel giggled as she buried her face in his pillow and took a deep breath. There was something about Finn's scent that she couldn't seem to get enough of. Then she turned her head back to him when she felt his hand on the curve of her back and his breath on her shoulder. "Have I told you how beautiful I think you are?"_

_She shook her head. "No. I could get used to hearing it though."_

_He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. "You are so beautiful." Finn lifted his head to give Rachel a kiss, rolling her onto her back and getting between her legs again. "Wanna go again?" he mumbled against her lips as his hardening cock grazed against her thigh._

_Rachel nodded her head and sought his kiss again._

The memory led to a breaking sob and Rachel sank to the floor where the bed used to be. Her body curled into a ball as she wept for her lost love. Time passed both fast yet slow and sometimes altogether seemed to stop. Rachel wasn't sure how long she lied on that floor wishing she was in Finn's bed, smelling him on his pillows and sheets, feeling his body against hers, his kiss on her lips.

How could he have left her? How could he think that leaving her was what was best for her…for them? Didn't he know how much he meant to her and how important he was? What was fame and fortune without someone to share it all with? He was the one she wanted to share it all with. Her dreams included him too; why couldn't he see that?

Rachel pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed Finn's number which she had committed to memory but was immediately met with the message played when a number had been disconnected. She called it again and again hoping for a different result each time but it never changed. She sent out text after text never getting anything in return.

A noise from the doorway startled her to a sitting position. She pushed herself back when she found her Dad standing in the doorway staring at her with pity. She didn't want his pity; she didn't want anything from him anymore.

"Sweetie, Finn is gone. He isn't coming back and he doesn't want to be found. Please, come home."

"I don't have a home with you anymore," she spit at him as she climbed to her feet.

"Rachel-"

"No!" she screamed at him. "You tried to control me and took away all my freedom, locked me in a cage like an animal and had me followed and tracked, and you're the reason Finn is gone. You made him feel like he wasn't good enough for me, put all these ideas in his head that he wasn't worthy of my love when he is the _only_ one that is! He left me because he thought it was the right thing for _me_! He was trying to protect me! What did you and Daddy do? You held me prisoner in my own home! How is that the right thing for _me_?"

"I'm sorry, Rachel. We never wanted it to come to that."

"Then why'd you let it happen? You could have stopped it all or better yet prevented it!" She made to exit but Leroy blocked her path. "Move, now!"

"Rachel, please."

"Get out of my way!" She shoved her father out of the doorway and ran out of the empty apartment only to find her Daddy outside by her car. They were trying to block all her exits.

"Where do you think you're going, little missy?"

"Away from you." She clicked the unlock button but Hiram continued to stand in front of the driver's door. When he didn't move she ran to the passenger side, climbing in before he could stop her and immediately locking it before he could get the door back open.

"Where are you going to go? You don't have anyone here anymore! You aren't talking to your friends, Finn's gone!" Rachel ignored her father as she turned on her car and sped off quickly, leaving him in the road behind her.

As much as she hated to admit it, her father had been right. Where was she supposed to go? She was still so angry at her friends but they had been trying to make amends ever since they played their parts in her world unraveling. Maybe it was time to let them.

She made her way to Kurt's and banged on the door loudly. Unfortunately, Mr. Hummel answered the door. "Rachel? What are you – are you alright?" he asked seeing her disheveled appearance and tear streaked face.

"Is Kurt here?" she asked instead of answering his question.

He opened the door to allow her in. "He's down in his room."

Rachel nodded her thanks and went down to Kurt's bedroom. He looked completely surprised and unawares as she slowly traipsed down his steps.

"Rachel! What are you doing here?" He got off his bed and immediately pulled Rachel into an embrace. She hugged him back despite herself and allowed him to lead her over to his bed.

"He's gone," she said quietly, no emotion in her voice. If she wanted to explain herself she couldn't get emotional.

"Finn?" She just nodded. "Oh, Rachel…I'm so sorry."

"No, you're not. You wanted this." She just stared at his floor, completely dead.

He ran his fingers through her hair before grabbing a tissue to wipe her nose. "I never wanted this! I want you to be happy, Rachel; regardless of whom that is with. I've done a lot of thinking over the past few weeks and I've realized that I was wrong. I still think it's creepy what he did with you, but you're old enough to decide what you want. You have a good head on your shoulders, Rachel and I know you'll make the right choice for you in the end and if Finn is that right choice…you should be with him."

Rachel shot up from the bed and turned on him angrily. "Well it's a little fucking late for that now, isn't it? Do you know what hell I've gone through since you decided to destroy Finn's life? What hell he's gone through?" Rachel shook her head at him before backing toward the stairs. "It was a mistake coming here. I'll just live in my car until graduation I guess."

She made to turn away but Kurt's hand wrapping around her wrist stopped her. "Live in your car? What's that mean? Rachel, what happened?"

"My dads are the reason Finn's gone. They got to him somehow and he left me because he thought it was what was right for me. It isn't right though. Not at all. I love him and I need him. Why can't he see that?" She plopped down in Kurt's egg chair and put her head in her hands as Kurt knelt in front of her.

"Why are you talking about living out of your car though?"

"I won't live with my fathers after everything they've done." Rachel then delved into the past few days and the measures her fathers had taken to keep her from seeing Finn. Kurt was appalled at their extreme tactics to keep them apart.

"I can't believe your dads would do such a thing. That's insane, Rachel!"

She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in the chair. "Well it's all true. I won't live with them. I don't want anything to do with them anymore."

"But what about school? How are you supposed to afford it without their help?"

"I'll figure something out. I mean, I got a partial scholarship. Financial aid will cover a little, I can apply for more scholarships and get a part-time job, I can get loans…I don't need them to make it through. I'll do it on my own."

"What are you going to do until school starts?"

Rachel just shook her head lightly. "I don't know."

They sat in silence for a while until Rachel began drifting to sleep. The emotional day she had was finally catching up with her.

When she awoke the next day, she found Kurt and Mr. Hummel at the breakfast table upstairs. It was 10 am and she was confused as to why both of them were still at home and why neither had told her to go home.

"Good morning," she chirped before sitting when Mr. Hummel motioned for her to do so. "Why aren't you at school and work?"

"I let my second run the place today and told Kurt he could stay home. We wanted to talk to you." Rachel gulped nervously. "Kurt told me about what happened with your dads. I agree totally with their anger over what happened with Mr. Hudson. He should never have taken advantage of you like that and honestly should be behind bars," Rachel wanted to interrupt to defend Finn but refrained, "but what they did wasn't right either. They should never have treated you that way. So, if you don't feel comfortable living with your dads anymore…you're free to stay here until the fall when you leave for college. You're 18 so you don't need to stay with them and staying here is better than living in your car."

Rachel's eyes widened as she looked between Kurt and his father. "You'd let me live here?"

Mr. Hummel nodded. "You should feel safe at home and you don't. With how much you were always over here, it seemed like you practically lived here anyway. You're kinda the daughter I never had." Rachel gave him a thankful smile. "I already told your dads you'd be staying here until you felt comfortable to go back to them, if you ever do. Hiram about exploded but Leroy seemed to think it was a good idea."

"He did?"

"I think he may have realized how wrong they were and wants to try to fix it. They said you can come by and collect your things while they're at work so you don't even have to see them if you don't want."

"Thank you, Mr. Hummel. I really appreciate this so much."

"Rachel, I've known you since you were five years old and now you're going to be living under my roof. It's okay for you to call me Burt."

Rachel gave him a soft smile. "Okay, Burt. Thank you."

"It's no problem. Now, eat some of this vegan stuff Kurt made you then we can go over to your folks' place and get your stuff. Then you and Kurt can go shopping to make his room fit for two. He already has a 'vision' for how he wants it to look."

"I wouldn't expect any less from Kurt." She chuckled and poured herself some orange juice.

A few hours later she and Kurt were going through her room, finishing packing all her most important things. She took more time and care than the night prior and soon her room was cleared of nearly everything except for her large furniture. Kurt said it would clash with his vision for their shared room and it was too big to move out anyway.

Once Kurt's SUV was packed full of all her worldly possessions, Rachel looked back at the house she grew up in and could feel the tears begin anew. It wasn't supposed to be this way. She didn't want it to be this way but she had to accept what was. She couldn't simply forgive her fathers for their actions; maybe someday, but not any day soon. Rachel did want her fathers back in her life eventually, despite everything, but she wanted them back on her terms, not theirs. If they wanted her forgiveness, they'd need to give her the space to find some.

Kurt backed out of her driveway and they headed toward his house, her house now, and Rachel refused to look back.

Later that day while Kurt was trying to talk to Rachel about paint colors and fabric swatches, Rachel was lost in her laptop. She had read so many times what Finn had said about not trying to find him but if he really believed she'd listen to that…he was insane. The first thing she tried was Facebook. He had disappeared completely. When that didn't work she tried Finn's various email accounts. All of the emails she sent him only returned her mailer daemons stating that they could not be delivered. Though she knew he didn't have a Twitter, Tumblr, Bebo, Classmates, Foursquare, etc, she checked them all for Finn just in case. She even checked Myspace though no one was on there anymore. When she got really desperate she even started trolling dating websites hoping against hope that a profile of his wouldn't show up. It seemed he was gone from the internet completely though.

"Rachel, are you even paying attention to a word I've said?" Kurt hounded her, waving an angry gray paisley swatch in her face.

"What?" Kurt just sighed at her in exasperation. "I'm sorry, Kurt. I don't really care how the room looks. You can have total creative control if you'd like…as long as I get to keep my stuffed animals."

Kurt scoffed and started in on how they would clash with everything but she silenced him with a single glare. "Fine, as long as you keep them on your bed you can keep them." Kurt held up the color samples to the wall to tape them on. "Isn't this exciting? Living together? It's like a preview for what it will be like in New York when we share an apartment."

Rachel pursed her lips and stared at him. "I wouldn't exactly call it exciting considering the circumstances."

Kurt's happy demeanor soured a little. "True. I'm sorry. I guess I'm just glad you're speaking to me again." Rachel ignored him as she continued working on her computer. "I really am beyond sorry for my part in all this. I thought I was doing what was in your best interest but I wasn't at all. I feel like what I did was just as bad as what your dads did…I tried to make decisions for you and it wasn't right."

"No it wasn't."

"Do you forgive me yet?"

Rachel looked up from her computer to see Kurt sitting on his bed next to her. "No." Kurt looked shocked. "But I'm on my way. It's still hard to swallow that you and Santana are part of the reason all this has happened but honestly, I'm angrier at myself than anyone. If I had just been honest with Finn from the beginning about Jacob…he could have left sooner and none of this would have happened. He'd still have a career and he'd still be here and my dads would have never turned into Nazis which is ironic since they're Jewish… This is my fault." Her eyes glazed with tears and Kurt gave Rachel a hug.

"This isn't your fault. It's just a lot of things working against you…but you know what I believe?"

"What?"

"You'll find him. If he really is your soulmate, nothing is going to keep you apart. It may not be tomorrow or even this year, but you'll see Finn again and you'll get your happily ever after with him."

Rachel looked at him through her tear filled eyes. "You really believe that?"

Kurt nodded his head. "I do." He brushed her hair back. "I'm going to help you."

"With what?"

"What do you mean 'with what'? With finding Finn of course! Now hand over the computer." He took the laptop from Rachel and started searching Google for anything Finn Hudson.

"I already checked everything I could think of. I even looked on Wikipedia for all the social networking sites there are. It's like he completely disappeared."

"Well, where do you think the first place he'd flee Lima for would be?"

Rachel smacked her forehead as the obvious slapped her in the face. "He'd go to Toledo. That's where his family and best friend live. Why didn't I think of it before? I don't need Facebook to find him!" Rachel hopped off Kurt's bed and grabbed her purse.

"Where are you going?"

"To Toledo to find Finn. He has to be there. There's nowhere else for him to go." Rachel's face brightened as she thought about reuniting with Finn.

Kurt closed her laptop and stood up. "Rachel, you can't just drive up to Toledo!"

"Why not? Why wait any longer to get Finn back than I have to? I'm going now."

Kurt looked toward his ceiling before grabbing his bag. "Then I'm going with you. If he isn't there, you'll need someone to drive you home since you'll be wracked with crippling depression."

Rachel rolled her eyes at him. "Thanks for your faith, Mr. Pessimist," she replied sarcastically.

"I am not a pessimist. Only a realist. I just don't want you to get your hopes up then have them completely dashed."

"He'll be in Toledo, Kurt. I'm sure of it."

When they arrived at Finn's mother's house after Rachel finally remembered which street it was actually on after searching five different streets, they were disappointed to find no cars in the driveway. They got out of the car anyway and Rachel knocked on the door to be met with silence from the other side. It didn't even appear anyone was home.

"Well, this was a successful trip," Kurt whined.

"She's needs to come home eventually right? We'll just wait for her."

"Rachel, we can't wait all night! We have school in the morning and we have curfew."

She wanted to yell at him that there are more important things than silly curfews and high school, but she could see his point. Burt and Kurt had been kind enough to open their home to her in her time of need and she didn't want to spit on their hospitality by disobeying the rules.

As they walked back to the car a thought hit her. "His uncle's house! That's where they go for family gatherings! Maybe they'll be over there?"

"Are we going to have to drive all over Toledo to find that house too?"

"No. I actually remember that street very well." Rachel chewed on her lip as she thought back to what happened in Finn's truck on that street. The depth of how much she missed him hit her hard then.

As they pulled up in front of Uncle Pete's, Rachel could tell she had been right about going to their place. The family's cars lined the driveway and street. Sadly, she didn't see Finn's truck but that didn't necessarily mean he wasn't there.

They walked up to the front door and Rachel rang the bell. A few moments later, Aunt Janet answered the door. Her face immediately fell when she saw who it was.

"You should not be here."

Rachel gulped and steeled herself for what she needed to do. "Is Finn here?"

"Why should I tell you? You ruined him."

"Listen lady," Kurt interjected, "Finn is a grown adult and he-"

"Kurt." Rachel stopped him and silently told him to keep quiet. "I know how awful everything that happened is-"

"Janet? Who's that?" Carole's voice wafted from the left. When she arrived at the door her face hardened and anger seeped into her features. "You have some nerve showing your face here."

"I'm sorry-"

"No! You don't get to apologize! I don't care if Finn was the teacher and to everyone else is the monster; you played a part in this. You are old enough to know what you were doing but you did it anyway. You ruined Finn's career and you lied about everything. You don't get to show up here and expect to get your way."

A single tear rolled down Rachel's cheek. "I never meant to hurt anyone, neither did Finn. We love each other."

"Please get out of here. I don't want to look at you."

"Please, I just need to talk to Finn! I'll leave if you let me see him!" Rachel pleaded. Carole just laughed without humor.

"I'd really love to see him too but he's gone."

"Wh-what do you mean he's gone?"

"I mean he left this morning. No one has any idea where he is. He didn't even take his truck with; it's still in the garage. The only thing left behind was a note saying he'd call once he got settled in his new place…wherever that may be. So because of you I lost my son. I can't even call him because he has no phone, or at least not one with a number I know."

"He left?"

"What do you not understand about this? He's gone! Now get the hell off my brother's porch."

The door slammed in Rachel's face and she stood there stunned momentarily before the sobs began to wrack her body.

He was gone without a trace and Rachel was never getting him back. She had been too late. Why hadn't she thought of Toledo the night before? She wouldn't have missed him then and they would be together right now. And on top of not having Finn back, his family hated her. They would never help her find Finn and if she managed to on her own, they'd never accept her again. She had destroyed everything. Carole was right; she had been responsible for everything.

"Rachel, don't you listen to her. This is not your fault," Kurt consoled as he knelt down in front of her.

Rachel shook her head. "But she's right! I'm old enough to know what I was doing was wrong, but I did it anyway. I _am_ to blame…at least somewhat." She started crying harder and Kurt helped her to her feet and back to the car. Like he had predicted, Rachel was a depressed mess and unable to drive.

Before Kurt could drive away a knock on the window startled both of them. Rachel looked up to see that it was Finn's best friend Sam. She rolled the window down.

"Are you here to yell at me too?" she asked dourly.

Sam leaned down to look at her better. "No. The opposite actually."

Rachel's head tilted and she looked at him with intrigue. "You don't hate me too?"

"Finn's a big boy. He knew what he was doing when he decided to be with you. He made his choices. It's not your fault he couldn't keep it in his pants."

"Do you know where he is?"

Sam shook his head no. "No one knows where he is. He was here for a day then asked if I could go back to Lima with him to clear out his apartment, we stopped at a storage place to drop it all off, then he went back to his mom's. I didn't see him again after that and then Carole showed up here frantic because he was gone, leaving only a note behind. They called the whole family and me to try to find out some info but no one knows anything."

Rachel just nodded her head in understanding.

"Look, Rachel…I know the rest of his family is not pleased about this. They're pissed at him and you and everything, but…they haven't seen Finn when he's without them, ya know what I mean? I've seen him around women before, when he's on his own. He's had shitty luck with girls in the past but he was always able to bounce back pretty quickly after the initial anger and humiliation. Finn is completely devastated over you and it's because of that that I know he loves you. He shouldn't have left you, he isn't the same anymore and we're all a little scared what will happen to him now that his heart has been ripped out. His family and your family may not approve, but who gives a shit what they think? You have to do what's right for you. Even after everything, you and Finn are right for each other."

"You really think so?"

Sam nodded and gave her a pleasant smile. "I've never seen Finn happier than when he was with you. So, if I hear anything about Finn's whereabouts, you'll be the first person I tell."

Rachel gave Sam a weak smile. "Thank you." They exchanged phone numbers and Sam ran back into the house to rejoin Finn's family. Once he was gone however, the despair and hopeless feeling seeped back in and Rachel's tears started again.

The trip back to Lima was subdued and neither spoke the entire way. When they got back to the house, Rachel climbed into bed and cried herself to sleep.

Kurt was wrong. She wasn't going to find Finn.


	20. Fixing the Broken Pieces

She could hear the noises from outside the door, the unsettling noises that put her on edge and worried her to no end. What was she going to find when she opened that door? She didn't really want to know but she couldn't stop herself from pushing it open anyway.

Inside the grimy hotel room was a bed and on that bed was her worst nightmare – Finn and another woman. She tried to scream as she watched them writing around having sex…making love. He was saying things to the mystery woman that he used to say to her and it completely broke her heart. Rachel tried to get to the bed to stop them and rip Finn away from her but she may as well have been a thousand miles away as running forward did no good. Then Finn pulled away and Rachel could clearly see the woman he was with. It was Quinn Fabray.

Rachel shot up in bed to find herself in the room she shared with Kurt alone. It was morning, 8:16 am to be exact when she looked at the clock. She was sweaty but cold and completely on alert as she swung her legs around to place her feet on the floor. She put her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands as silent tears began to fall down her face once more.

She thought she was past the nightmares. It had been weeks since she had had one, so why were they suddenly resurging with a vengeance? This one had been the worst. The thought of Finn moving on with another woman tore up her insides and honestly made her want to puke. She was connected to him and always would be, they were soulmates, and imagining him with someone else was unbearable. Usually in her nightmares, Finn just disappeared in front of her or she searched entire towns or cities for him never finding a trace. Once she had even dreamed that he had died. That one sent her into a tizzy and she immediately got on her laptop to search the obituaries and called Sam asking if he knew anything. Thankfully she hadn't found him online and his family hadn't been informed of his demise, but she was still always worried that he might be lying in a ditch somewhere never to be found.

The likelier situation was that Finn was simply in hiding. Why he was even hiding from his family, she didn't know. It just really sucked that he was gone and there was no way to find him. She supposed she could hire a private detective but that could take months or years and she didn't exactly have the cash to spend on one. Every penny she had needed to go toward school.

School. It was graduation day; that was probably what brought on the anxiety dream about Finn. It was the closing of one chapter in Rachel's life and the beginning of another. A very stressful time in anyone's life. Most people were probably excited about finally getting out of high school and going to college or whatever plans they had beyond high school but all Rachel could seem to focus on now was how uncertain her future was. Sure, she had been accepted into NYU but without her dads to help pay for it, she wasn't sure how she'd be able to get the money to cover what financial aid and her scholarships wouldn't cover. Her job working in the office at Burt's would help a little but it still wasn't enough. She was going to have to get loans which would put her well into debt. But once she made a name for herself, surely money wouldn't be a problem.

"Rachel," Kurt's voice sang as he skipped down the stairs into the room. "Rachel, wake up…oh you're up…and crying. Rachel, what's wrong?" He moved over to her bed and sat down next to her, lightly rubbing her back.

"I had a nightmare," she stated plainly.

"I thought they had finally passed?"

"I think it's just stress from graduation."

"What was this one about?"

Rachel wiped her tears and looked at Kurt. "Finn was having sex with Quinn Fabray."

Kurt pulled a face. "Why Quinn Fabray?"

"I don't know. Does it really matter who it's with? The point is he's moved on. He found someone else." More tears escaped.

"You don't know that. I'm sure if he's as emotionally wrecked as you have been the past few months, he hasn't moved on at all…and certainly not with Quinn Fabray. I'll bet she's staying away from all men ever since Puckerman knocked her up."

Well, that was definitely true. For weeks after Finn's disgrace, all anyone at school could talk about was the scandal. Everyone looked at Rachel differently and whispered behind her back and drew pornographic pictures of her in the bathroom. Even the threat of Snixx's wrath wasn't enough to keep people from treating Rachel like a pariah, especially since they had lost one of the best teacher's McKinley had and had to suffer through horrible substitutes until Figgins could find someone.

Then, in late April, they found Ms. Holliday and everyone's tune on English seemed to change. They talked less and less about Mr. Hudson and his immoral activities and more about how awesome Ms. Holliday was. But then a new scandal rocked McKinley that dethroned Rachel as the school's main topic of gossip – known celibacy advocate, cheerleader Quinn Fabray, had been knocked up by known man-whore Noah Puckerman. It was all anyone could talk about once the story broke and finally Rachel had fallen off the radar. It was probably why Rachel's subconscious had put Quinn into her dream.

Though it sucked for Quinn that her future was now questionable, it had really helped Rachel move forward. She could focus on her schoolwork and after school clubs again without feeling like everyone was always judging her and didn't have to worry about the whispers in the hallway or cafeteria anymore. Quinn's failure to use protection became Rachel's saving grace when it came to surviving the remaining month and a half of school.

"Now, dry your eyes and pep up. We've got high school to graduate from in a few hours and we're not going to shed sad tears today. Only happy ones." He lifted Rachel to her feet and gave her a hug before blathering on about needing to get ready for the day.

A few hours later, Rachel and Kurt were joining the other graduates in the cafeteria, waiting to be escorted to the gymnasium for the ceremony to start. As Rachel and Kurt were in the top 10 percentile of their class, they would be sitting on the stage. They found the section they were to line up in and found Santana there as well.

When Rachel had first gone to Kurt for help, she had been reluctant to forgive Santana just then as well. Santana had broken a promise that had been very important to Rachel and she wasn't sure she could ignore that. It took some time and a heart to heart but eventually Rachel realized she was over the whole thing and they had a tearful reunion which she was grateful for. Santana had been a great help in making it through the final weeks of senior year.

"Hey Rachel, congratulations! We're finally out of here!" Santana said when they walked up to her. She hugged Rachel tightly and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay. Today isn't just about high school ending; it's about the rest of our lives beginning. I have a lot to look forward to…if I can figure out my finances."

"Have you even tried talking to your dads?"

Rachel shook her head no furiously. "I don't want their help. I don't need it. Money is out there, I just need to find it."

Santana tried to protest but Mr. Schuester called for everyone's attention. They needed to line up alphabetically according to last name except for the group on stage which was to line up according to their rank in the class. Rachel had come in seventh out of the 352 graduating seniors. Kurt had come in tenth and Santana had ranked sixteenth so both were behind her. Unfortunately, Jacob Ben Israel was only two ahead of Rachel but thankfully was ignoring her. Ever since he helped ruin Finn and Rachel's relationship, Jacob had for the most part kept to himself. He stopped bothering Rachel and never stayed in the same room as her if he could help it.

Once everyone was organized, Mr. Schuester led the graduating class of 2012 out to the gymnasium where they were greeted with applause. The ceremony took forever after Rachel got her diploma as she had to wait for 345 more kids to get theirs before the ceremony could end. While she waited she scanned the crowd.

She found Brittany and Blaine sitting together with Burt off to the right and when they caught her eye, she waved to them and earned a wave back. Her eyes continued to roam landing on some parents she instantly recognized and others she didn't. Then she found her parents.

Her dads waved to her as her eyes found them but she quickly averted her gaze to pretend like she hadn't. From her peripheral she could see their crestfallen faces and felt a twinge of guilt but then remembered everything they had done. She couldn't forgive them yet. They still hadn't done anything to earn her forgiveness.

Finally, Louis Zuchakski, the last kid in their class, had his diploma and was making his way back to his seat when Principal Figgins stepped up to close out the ceremony. Rachel wasn't even listening and completely missed when he said the closing statements and everyone threw their caps.

Seconds later the entire gymnasium began moving to go outside to meet parents and get pictures with friends. Rachel walked out with Kurt and Santana on each arm, laughing about how _now_ high school was officially over until they found Burt, Brittany and Blaine.

"Congratulations, kids! I'm so proud of you all!" Burt pulled them all into a group hug while Blaine took a picture. "We're going out to Breadstix tonight to celebrate. Are you joining us Santana?"

"I wouldn't miss it, Mr. Hummel."

"Are we invited?" Leroy Berry's voice said from behind the group. Rachel turned around to find her dads looking weepy behind her.

"No, you're not," she replied bitterly. "Why are you here?"

Hiram answered. "You might be mad at us, but you're still our daughter. It's not every day we get to watch our only baby girl graduate from high school. We weren't going to miss this."

Rachel's heart panged to run into their arms and give them a big hug but she couldn't bring herself to do it. "I thought walking out constituted you disowning me."

Leroy sighed. "Rachel, do you really believe we'd ever disown you? We love you. That was why we did everything we did."

"Keeping me prisoner and threatening disowning is a funny way of showing your love."

"We went about handling the situation poorly," Rachel snorted, "but you have to know we only did it because we know you're bigger than some guy. You're going to be a star. We didn't want anything getting in the way of that."

"Nothing is going to. Finn was moving to New York with me. He's my biggest supporter. He would never stand in the way of my dream, unlike you two who took away part of my dream. _Finn_ is part of my dream too. I could be the biggest star in the world but that's not going to keep me company while I lie alone in bed at night. I want everything, Dad. Career and family. Is it so much to ask to have the man I love by my side?"

"We're so sorry, Rachel," Hiram said.

"I don't want an apology. I want Finn back and for you to accept my decision to be with him and to stop meddling in my business. I'm going to find him and we're going to be together. If you can accept that, then maybe someday I can forgive you, but right now, I need space."

Rachel turned away and stomped through the quad and up the stairs to get to the parking lot. On her way there however, she came across a crying lump sitting against the wall with her head on her knees. When Rachel saw the hair, she immediately knew who it was.

"Quinn?" Her head shot up and she turned away, trying to hide the fact she was crying. "Quinn, are you alright?"

"Does it fucking look like I'm alright?" she spit back with acid.

Rachel hesitantly stepped closer. "What's wrong?"

"Everything." She looked back at Rachel. "This was supposed to be the happiest day. It was the end of this cow town, the end of the same boring people…I was supposed to be in New Haven in the fall but now…I'm never going to get out of here."

Rachel moved closer and sat down next to Quinn. "You can still go to Yale. Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean it's the end of the world."

"Sure feels like it."

"Have you considered your options?"

"I'm not getting an abortion."

"That's not the only option. You can give it up for adoption. There are tons of families looking to adopt; a lot of really great ones. If you're not ready to be a mother yet but still want to do what's right by your baby, that's always an option."

She nodded her head. "Why are you being nice to me? I've been nothing but awful to you."

Rachel shrugged. "I may not have gone through this exact situation, but I know how it feels to lose something important and feel like the world is turning on you. You need to know, it's not the end of the world and you won't always feel this way."

Quinn gave her a small smile. "I guess it's a good thing my parents are divorced. If my father was still around…he'd have disowned me."

"Been there."

Quinn shook her head. "How am I supposed to tackle college while pregnant? Everyone will always see me as _that_ girl."

"Who cares? How many of our classmates will we ever see again after today? Maybe ten, if that…same for college. No one defines who we are except for ourselves. So ignore them and focus on your goals. That's what I always did with you." Both girls chuckled.

"I'm sorry for how I treated you after the whole…Mr. Hudson thing. I guess it's true what they say about karma." Quinn softened then. "You really did love him, didn't you?"

Rachel nodded. "I still do."

"What happened to him?"

She sighed. "He left to protect me and now no one knows where he is. I'm going to find him though. I don't care how long it takes…Finn's my soulmate and you don't just walk away from that. I still have my moments of doubt, when I think it's all so impossible and that we'll never see each other again, but I push through them. I _will_ see Finn again. I know I will."

"I hope you find him. He seems like a great guy…much better than one I let get me pregnant."

"He is." She didn't know why, but in that moment Rachel felt the need to give Quinn a hug. Catching her off guard, Rachel hugged a stiff Quinn tightly before she eased up and hugged her back. Rachel wondered how long it had been since anyone had hugged her. "Congratulations, Quinn, and good luck at Yale. I know you'll do great. You'll figure everything out, you're a smart girl." She pulled out of the hug and got to her feet. Quinn stood up as well. "Where's your mom?"

"Probably chatting up some dads. She's been obsessed with dating since my parents split."

Rachel gave her a sympathetic smile. "Do you have any celebration plans tonight?" She shook her head no. All her friends had abandoned her after she had lost her reputation. "You're welcome to join us at Breadstix tonight around six. I know we're not exactly the 'cool' crowd, but we know how to have fun."

She smiled. "Yeah, maybe I'll stop by."

Quinn never stopped by that night and no one had really seen her much since graduation. Despite everything that Quinn had put her through, Rachel hoped their talk had helped. Quinn knew what it felt like to be the outsider now. Rachel knew they'd never be friends, but it felt like they had come to an understanding.

As the summer began, Rachel found herself doing everything she could to make money to pay for school. She still owed a few grand for the first year and was trying to avoid loans but it was looking more and more like she was going to need them. When she checked her account online however, her tuition was paid in full. Very confused, Rachel called the bursar's office to double check but it wasn't wrong. Her tuition was paid and Rachel knew exactly who had paid it. Her fathers.

She drove to their house and pounded on the door. When her Dad answered she stormed inside. "What are you doing?"

"I was doing dishes. What are you doing?"

"You paid the rest of my tuition?"

"Maybe."

"I told you I didn't want your help! I don't need or want your money!"

Leroy rubbed his temples. "Rachel, you said at graduation that you didn't want an apology. So we aren't apologizing anymore. We're taking action and trying to prove how sorry we are."

"By buying my love?"

"By doing the right thing. You said that your father and I stood in the way of your dream. If we can't make things right when it comes to Finn, we'll make it right with school. You need our help and we're going to give it to you whether you want it or not. So stop worrying about having to pay for college. Just worry about doing well in your classes. Leave the financial stuff to us," he yelled at her. "Now, if you aren't planning on staying, you should probably go. I have to finish the dishes."

Leroy left Rachel by the door as he left to go to the kitchen. She fumed but quickly deflated as she exited the house. She didn't want to accept their money but she had to admit, it felt good not having to worry about it so much. But that would be wrong to take their money when she so desperately wanted to make it on her own. Rachel battled with herself the entire way back to the Hummel's until she came to a conclusion – she would ask Kurt.

"Is it wrong to let my dads pay for school when I told them I didn't want their help? Because I don't…" Rachel sat herself down next to Kurt, "but it feels so nice not having to worry about school. I just don't know if I should go with it or..."

"Rachel, I know you want to make it on your own, but you think you can manage four years at NYU without help from your dads? Even if you take out loans, for financial aid you still need your dads."

"It just feels wrong to take money from them after everything. Like I'm still letting them control me."

"Honestly, if they're paying for school after you left them, I don't think they're trying to control you. I think they might be trying to make it up to you. They know you won't talk them and they're respecting your space by letting you make the first move. They can't help with Finn and even if they wanted to they probably wouldn't so that leaves your future. It's something the three of you have always strived for. They want to see you succeed."

"I feel like I'll just be using them for their money."

"It's up to you, but I really think your dads are just trying to help you be the best you can be. I don't think it's a ploy to get you to come back to them or to forgive them. They do love you and want what's best for you. They were really upset after you stormed off at graduation and seemed very regretful."

Rachel thought about what Kurt said as she laid back on her bed. She could feel her anger toward them slipping away but she refused to go back to them and fully forgive them until she knew they would accept Finn. If they couldn't accept who she loved she didn't need them. But she came to a conclusion regarding school.

"I'm going to pay them back. I can treat their contribution like a loan. When I'm finished with school and begin making my millions I can pay them back in full plus interest so that way I can still get my education, they can feel satisfied they're helping me succeed, and I won't have to feel guilty over taking their money when I didn't really want to. Does that sound horrible?" Rachel was worried. She didn't want to seem like gold digger in a sense. She really would pay them back.

"It's better than running off with their money and never speaking to them again I suppose." He paused briefly and looked at her. "Don't you think it would be easier to just talk things out with your dads? Try to get past this rather than ignoring them?"

Rachel turned to face the wall. "I'm not ready to face them yet. It still really hurts when I think about it all. I need to know that when I find Finn they'll accept that I love him and I choose him and don't plan on ever leaving him. I need to know that they won't try to control me and will let me live my life the way I want to. It's not like I'm doing drugs or am an alcoholic. I still have my dreams and don't plan on giving up on them. Finn is just part of those dreams now. They need to understand that. Once they do, then I'll be ready to talk."

"Well, if you never speak to them, how will you know when they understand?"

Rachel let Kurt's question hang in the air as she closed her eyes. He was right on some level she supposed, but she still didn't want to talk to them yet. What they had done was so out of character and beyond insane that it scared her. They had always preached to be her own person and not let others dictate her life and choices yet they practiced the exact opposite. It was still tough to accept that her fathers could do something so crazy to her.

"Kurt, Rachel, dinner," Burt called down the stairs. They headed up to the kitchen and dropped the subject completely.

The summer progressed like any other except for Rachel's work schedule. When she wasn't working she could be found in the backyard tanning with Santana, Brittany and Blaine, while Kurt remained fully clothed at the patio table under the awning or they could all be found at the mall or other various haunts around town. They spent as much time together as they could as Rachel, Santana, and Kurt wouldn't see Brittany or Blaine again until Thanksgiving break.

One afternoon in late July, the group found themselves at the Lima Bean when a face they hadn't seen since graduation walked in. It was Quinn Fabray with an ever growing baby bump and a pleased look on her face.

"Wonder what the Ice Queen is so happy about… She's carrying a bastard alien inside her. Doesn't seem like there'd be much to be happy about."

"Santana," Rachel chastised. "Be nice."

"What? It's Puckerman's kid. It can't be normal."

"Hey guys," Quinn greeted as she turned away from the counter and noticed them sitting not too far away. She had a box of sticky buns in her hand.

"Hello Quinn," the table greeted in unison.

"How are you doing, Quinn?" Rachel asked trying to be polite.

Quinn nodded as she spoke. "I'm doing well. Very well actually. I found adoptive parents for my daughter."

The table crowed excitedly. "That's great, Quinn! I had no idea you were having a girl."

"Yeah, found out last week at my ultrasound. Her parents were hoping for a girl so it really worked out nicely. They've been really great though helping out with doctors' bills and whatnot. Plus, they said it could be an open adoption so I'll get to see her sometimes."

Rachel smiled at her, genuinely happy that things were going well for her after what had happened. Somehow Quinn's situation seemed to give Rachel hope about her own.

"Well, I need to go down these sticky buns. I've been having cravings for them like mad. I'll see you guys around."

"Bye Quinn," the myriad of voices said from the table as Rachel waved goodbye.

"I think that's so nice that she found a good family for her baby," Rachel stated.

Santana snorted. "Since when do you care about Quinn Fabray and her baby troubles?"

"I don't know. Babies just seem to bring out my happier side I suppose. And just because Quinn can be…"

"A bitch?"

"Shrew?"

"Wench?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I was going to go with mean-spirited."

"No, Quinn's just a bitch," Santana supplied.

"Whatever. What I was going to say was just because Quinn is hard and mean, doesn't mean her baby will be. Her daughter deserves a family that will love her. And I think motherhood may have softened Quinn a little."

"Well, I don't know about all of you, but I'm ready for a refill. Who's with me?" Kurt asked as he raised his empty coffee cup in the air and shook it.

"I am," Blaine and Brittany stated, leaving Rachel and Santana at the table alone.

Santana looked down at her hands as she hesitantly asked, "So, how did dinner with your dads go last night?"

Rachel sighed. After about four months of next to zero communication with her fathers, Rachel had decided to attempt a conversation. The conversation, held in the very Lima Bean they were in then, had been nothing more than simple chit chat to break the prolonged silence but it had gone smoothly. When she had asked if they perhaps wanted to join her and the Hummels for dinner the next night, they had accepted her invitation.

"It felt weird. Like eating with strangers. I don't understand how the men who raised me my entire life could seem like people I had never met."

"You used to think they could do no wrong. They were your heroes, but then a key piece changed and suddenly everything changed. They saw you differently and you saw them differently. I went through the same thing with my Abuela when I came out to her. She still won't talk to me no matter how hard I try to make her." Santana's eyes shone with unshed tears before she laughed and pulled herself together to hide the hurt. Rachel knew how upset she had been when her grandmother had disowned her for who she happened to love and it still stung when she had to bring it up. Though she didn't show it often, Santana could be vulnerable and did have real emotions.

Rachel placed her hand on Santana's, about to offer some consoling words, until her phone began to ring obnoxiously. Rachel gave Santana a sympathetic smile. She was going to ignore it until she recognized the name. "Do you mind if I take this?" Santana shook her head no and excused herself to the bathroom, giving Rachel a small hug on her way. "Sam? What's up?" Rachel nearly dropped the phone at his answer.

"Hey, Rachel, uh, I have some info…about Finn."

* * *

><p>News of Finn? What could it be? O_O Find out next chapter!<p> 


	21. 917

Getting toward the end now. So, so close.

* * *

><p>Sam had been vague on the phone, as if he were being watched as he made the call. He asked if Rachel would possibly be able to meet him somewhere to talk and they had settled on a Starbuck's in a town halfway between them. Rachel sat with her third coffee in half an hour which seemed to prove a poor choice as her leg was shaking and she hadn't even realized she was moving it. She stilled her leg but soon it was shaking again as she kept checking her phone and reading the same line of the book she had brought with her over and over, never absorbing the words on the page. Sam was now twelve minutes late and Rachel was beginning to get worried.<p>

For the hundredth time since entering the establishment, Rachel looked toward the door and was finally rewarded when she saw Sam's mop of blonde hair walk in. She jumped up from the table and waved wildly to him, earning glares from the hipsters furiously typing away on their laptops.

"Sam! Hi! Sam, over here!" She continued waving until he had practically made it to the table. They sat down together and though Rachel didn't want to get her hopes up only to have them dashed, she couldn't keep the smile at learning _some_ news about Finn off her face. "So, you spoke with Finn?"

"No."

Rachel was confused. "But you know something?"

"Yes." He smiled and folded his hands on the table ready to tell Rachel what he knew. "Finn called Carole two days ago from a new number. He says he's fine. Apparently he found an apartment and a job working at a music store. He wouldn't say where exactly though."

"That's it?" Rachel asked, frantic. She had come all this way to find out that? She wanted a location! Sure, it was nice to know that Finn was still alive and okay but she needed his whereabouts.

"Calm down, princess. Let me finish." Rachel sat back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest in a huff. "We tried calling him back at that same number but didn't get an answer."

"Well, what's the number? Maybe he'll answer now."

"That's where we hit a problem. It wasn't his phone. The guy who answered when I called back didn't even know who Finn was when I asked for him."

"How does that help me?"

"Because I looked up the area code of the number. It's 917, you know where that is?" Rachel shook her head no. "New York City."

The grin on Rachel's face was so big it hurt as she jumped up and hugged Sam tightly, kissing the side of his head. "This is amazing news! Thank you, Sam! Thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah, now get off me please." He pushed Rachel away gently and she sat back down, doing a little dance in her seat.

But then a sour thought hit Rachel. "But what if the phone was stolen or something? Just because that's the area code doesn't mean that's where Finn is." Rachel's bright mood darkened very fast.

"The thought did cross my mind but then I remembered Carole said he was working at a music store. He could still be anywhere but I remember his friend Eric was a music major at school and had always talked about running his uncle's music store in New York. When he came back to visit last year he was visiting from New York where he had taken over his uncle's music store when he died. I'd bet anything he'd give Finn a job if he was in need of one. I'm not sure which borough it's in, though, or the name of it. Eric was more Finn's friend than mine so I didn't hang out with him much, but I do remember he said he had the store."

"So you're telling me that Finn is living and working at a music store for his friend Eric somewhere in one of the five boroughs of New York City?"

"That's my best guess, yes."

"Does Eric have a last name so I can possibly speak to him to find Finn?"

"He does but you won't be able to get in touch with him. Eric is one of those douchebags who just drops in on you unexpectedly, eats all your food, and still thinks records will make a comeback. He hates Facebook and isn't listed. He doesn't even own a computer to my knowledge."

"Of course he doesn't. That would only be too convenient!" Rachel said in annoyance. Why couldn't she catch a break when it came to finding Finn? Well, besides the massive one Sam had just given. "Well, it's more than I had to go on than when I walked in here. I really appreciate all the help, Sam."

"No problem. If I learn anything else to make the search easier, I'll let you know."

Rachel nodded appreciatively. "Thank you so much, Sam. I'm very grateful for this."

Sam smiled back. "I hope you find him. From what Carole said about their conversation, he sounded really down even though he was trying to hide it. He misses you. He may not have told Carole that, but I know he does."

She could feel the tears building. "I miss him too. So much. People always say with time it hurts less but it still hurts the same. I keep waiting for the pain to disappear but it won't." A tear slipped down her cheek before she could wipe it away. She sniffled and grabbed a napkin to dab at her eyes.

Sam put his hand on Rachel's. "You'll find him. New York is big, but it ain't that big."

"I kinda wish it was a little smaller right now though." She gave a tiny dark chuckle.

"Well, I should get going before Tara notices I've gone missing. Finn's family doesn't exactly know that I'm helping you out. They're still pretty peeved over the whole thing."

Rachel winced. "I feel so horrible for lying to them. I really like his family and it feels awful that they hate me."

Sam stood up. "They'll get over it. Honestly, they're more upset with Finn. Like I said, I'll call you if I find out anything else. Good luck, Rachel."

"Thanks, Sam." She waved goodbye and continued to sit at the table with her coffee until the intense urge to pee hit her. Those three cups of coffee had definitely been a bad idea.

Once Rachel had finished in the bathroom, she drove back to Lima, giddy for the first time in months. Things were looking up. She just had to find out how many music stores were in New York City and then she could search them all until she found Finn or until the apocalypse came. It would make things immensely easier if Sam could possibly learn some more pertinent information about Finn's location, but knowing he was in the city she would be living in by the end of August was a big step up from knowing nothing.

It had to be a sign that they were meant to find each other if Finn was in New York. He knew Rachel was going to be in New York. If he was trying to avoid her, wouldn't that be the last place he would want to be? Yet he was there, simply waiting to be found. Rachel wanted to cry but instead of out of sorrow, out of happiness.

When she made it home and searched Google for music stores in New York City however, she wanted to weep sadly again. The map was littered with red dots throughout the city.

"How am I ever going to find him?" New York City had over eight million people in it and she was searching for one based on the fact he worked in a music store for Eric Nolastname. Rachel placed her forehead down on the table and closed her eyes.

"Please tell me you aren't dead?" Kurt asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"Not yet," she replied as she lifted her head. "I will be from all the walking I will have to do to find Finn."

"What's that mean?"

"He's in New York, Kurt," Rachel said, excitement bubbling in her voice again. "Of all the places he could be he's in my city." She folded her hands over her heart and bit her lip, eyes shining as she thought about how perfect it seemed.

Kurt's eyes widened. "Well, where? New York is kinda broad."

Rachel's face fell again as she replied bitterly. "That's the problem. All I have to go on is a music store in New York City." She turned the computer so Kurt could see. "Do you see how many music stores there are in New York City? I don't even know what kind of music store it is!"

"Wow, that's a lot of red." Rachel agreed sadly. "Well, knowing is half the battle, right? Now you just need a plan of attack."

"It's just so daunting. How am I supposed to even start?"

Kurt sat down at the table across from her. "You pick up a phone and start calling."

"No, I don't want to call. If I happen to speak to Finn before I see him, he might bolt if he knows I know where he is. I need to see him face to face."

"Okay then," Kurt grabbed the lap top. "We'll make a list of every store and go block by block until we find him. Start with Manhattan, then the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, then Staten Island."

"We?"

"We. I'm not going to let you run around New York by yourself. At least not until we're more familiar with it and I'm sure Santana will help too. You know, when she can bring herself down to the city to visit. I still can't believe Santana got into Sarah Lawrence."

"And she'll never let you forget it." Rachel chuckled.

"Let's get to work. I'd like to spend some free time in New York not searching for your boyfriend. I have my own life to live."

Rachel and Kurt spent hours compiling the list of music stores and the best way to tackle them. While Rachel wanted to spend every minute she could looking for Finn, she knew she couldn't as she had school, the entire reason she would be in New York. To start, they planned on using the weekends to search in Lower Manhattan and work their way up. It would probably take weeks, if not months, to get through all the locations, but Rachel was willing to do it. She would walk all five boroughs if she had to.

"Is it August 24th yet?" Rachel whined as they finally completely their list of store names and addresses. "I just want to get to New York already."

"Patience, Rachel. You'll find him when you're meant to."

She sighed dramatically. "I don't want to be patient! I want Finn back."

"Well, until you find him we should keep occupied so you don't waste the rest of the summer pining away on the balcony asking, 'Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?' okay? We are going to have fun. We won't be back here until Thanksgiving after we leave and three months will be a long time to go without seeing my boyfriend," Kurt whined.

Rachel was not amused as she scowled at Kurt. "Oh yes, how ever will you survive the hours? You'll only be able to text, call, and Skype your boyfriend whenever you want. I haven't heard from mine in four months, Kurt, so stop your lamenting. It's way worse when the love of your life disappears without a trace."

"Not completely without a trace. We sorta know where he is now."

Rachel rolled her eyes and closed her laptop. "I'm going to bed now."

"It's only nine!"

"I'm sleepy."

"Fine, I guess I will continue my _Grey's Anatomy_ marathon by myself."

Rachel thoroughly went through her pre-bedtime skin care ritual and put on her cute matching tank top and shorts pajamas. For sleeping in the basement, the room certainly did get warm at night during the summer. As she lied in bed, Rachel thought about what her reunion with Finn would be like. She hoped it would be like coming home and not awkward like when she had begun speaking to her fathers again. Would he have changed at all? Would he have moved on? She didn't really think he had, not because she was vain enough to think he wouldn't ever be able to get over her – although she really hoped that might be the case – but because of what Sam had said. He knew Finn better than anyone so if he said Finn was probably still hung up on her, it was probably true.

Her mind started drifting to different scenarios that could possibly play out until she landed on one that involved a little naughtiness. She would walk into the store and find Finn there, their eyes meeting and all the feelings of love rushing through them. They'd be so happy to see each other again they wouldn't be able to control themselves and he would take her there in the store.

She got hotter as her mind delved further into the vision until her chest was rising and falling sharply as her hand slipped below her shorts and panties. It had been months since she had found this sort of relief. She had just never been in the mood but now with the possibility of getting Finn back on the horizon, she throbbed with want.

Her fingers slid into her folds finding pooled wet heat there already. She was so overdue for an orgasm that she could tell it wouldn't take long. As she dipped her fingers inside herself, avoiding her sensitive nub to keep from coming too soon, Rachel imagined Finn.

"_I missed you so much," he mumbled against her lips. "I love you and I'm never leaving you again."_

"_I love you, Finn. Don't ever leave, promise you won't leave me," she said back, looking into his eyes._

"_I promise."_

_Without another word, his length slipped inside her as they made love. His cock felt so big and smooth as it moved back and forth inside her slick opening making her moan and whine as her heartbeat quickened and her temperature rose. Her mind was hazy with lust as his lips wrapped around her stiff nipple, his tongue teasing the taught nub as his hand trailed down her body to find her __throbbing clit. Her hips bucked as he flicked her nub and she fell apart in his arms, screaming his name._

"Finn!" Rachel cried out as her body stiffened with the effect of her first orgasm in months. Her eyes clenched tightly shut as she continued rubbing her clit. When she reached the highest point her head slammed back into the pillow as her back arched off the bed and her eyelids fluttered, her eyeballs rolling back into her head. She gasped for air as she realized she forgot to breathe until all at once the intense feeling of pleasure was gone and she collapsed back onto the bed.

Her body shook with aftershocks and her eyes opened to find the blank ceiling above her. Rachel removed her hand from her shorts and placed it on her stomach. While her body felt magnificent, her mind and her heart were left unsatisfied. There was no feeling of love or joy to accompany the sensation and no one to hold her as she fell asleep in perfect bliss. No gentle nuzzling under her ear or soft little kisses along the column of her throat. No one to hear 'I love you' from or to say it to. She almost felt even worse than she had before. She turned in bed to face the wall and tried not to cry as she fell into a restless sleep.

The remaining weeks of the summer seemed to pass even slower than they had before now that Rachel had a plan to find her lost love. She just wanted to be in New York already but she was still stuck in stupid Lima where nothing happened. All her days consisted of were filing in the office at Burt's garage, hanging out with her friends at the mall or the pool or some other spot where every teenager in Lima hung out, dinner with the Hummels or her dads if it was a Wednesday or Sunday night, and finally lying in bed trying not to think about Finn but ultimately failing, caving to her body's need for him then instantly regretting it once done. One night when Kurt walked in on her giving her what her body wanted, she instantly regretted that as well. From then on she had been too nervous he'd catch her again to even try. She supposed it had actually been a blessing in disguise as she always felt horrible afterward.

Slowly but surely, the summer weeks passed until the eve of Rachel, Kurt, and Santana's departure was upon them. As a last hurrah, Burt had decided to allow Kurt to host a get together with his friends to say goodbye. Parents and kids were allowed to come over for a barbeque and that was currently where Rachel found herself. She was speaking with her Daddy.

"We're so proud of you, sweetheart," Hiram said as he moved to hug Rachel. She tentatively allowed him the brief contact, still feeling out of sorts around them. As she pulled away he added, "I know we've had our differences and we messed up in trying to do what was best for you, but we really do love you, Rachel. You're our daughter, the only one we'll ever have. We've only ever wanted you to shine."

"I know that." She really did know that. Their dinner time conversations had done a lot to start the healing process but Rachel still couldn't allow herself to allow them back in completely. It was hard to totally trust them. "I love you too. I know I've been distant with you since I left but I do love you…and Dad too." She gave him a little smile, her eyes wet with tears, before hugging him once more. She felt his lips on her head and closed her eyes, holding him tighter. Even after everything he was still her Daddy and she missed him.

They broke apart when they heard Burt announce that the burgers were ready. He looked around for Rachel. "Hey, Rachel, Kurt's working on your veggie burger in the house. Go tell him the real food is done." He let out a chuckle as he pulled the patties off the grill and onto a plate. He was yet another one who liked to poke fun at Rachel's dietary habits.

When Rachel walked into the house, she found the kitchen vacant but found her burger finished and waiting on the George Foreman. She had just procured a bun when she heard a loud moan from the pantry. Rachel rolled her eyes and stalked toward the door. When she knocked, Kurt answered his hair a mess, only a t-shirt, and his pants unbuttoned. Blaine was standing behind him in even less.

"Really? With all our parents downstairs?"

"Really? In the prop closet at school?" he spit back. He would never let her live that down every time she caught him and Blaine going at it. "This is the last day Blaine and I will be together since we're leaving at the crack of dawn with the U-Haul to get all of our stuff to New York tomorrow. We won't see each other again for a long time."

"Oh a quickie in the pantry with a dozen people outside! How romantic?" she ribbed him. "Just get dressed, the food's ready and your dad will notice you and Blaine are both missing if everyone sits down to eat except you two." She walked away and Kurt closed the door.

Kurt and Blaine exited the house a few minutes after Rachel looking like they had before their mid-party romp. When everyone sat down to eat, Rachel ended up between her dads. Surprisingly, it didn't feel as weird as usual.

The group talked about school and how excited they were to go to New York and when breaks were for them to return for a visit. Then things got tense when Brittany absent-mindedly mentioned Finn.

"So, Rachel, Santana said you found Finn. Are you going to meet up with him in New York?" she asked not even noticing the effect her question had on the group.

Rachel cleared her throat uneasily as she could feel the gaze of all the adults on her. "I don't know where he is. He could be anywhere. I haven't spoken to him since he left."

"But I thought he was in New York?" she asked with confusion. If Rachel could make anyone dead with her mind, she'd kill Brittany in that instance.

"He might be. Santana! How often do you think you'll be coming down from Sarah Lawrence to visit us?" Rachel asked enthusiastically, trying desperately to change the subject. Brittany seemed to get the hint and dropped it. As Santana told them about Sarah Lawrence, the mood brightened again and the focus shifted off Rachel. Though she loved the spotlight, she hated it when it had to do with her relationship with Finn.

When dinner ended and everyone sat around talking and digesting, Leroy pulled Rachel inside the house for a private word. "Do you really know where he is?" he asked when they were alone.

She nodded yes. Rachel had been trying to avoid talk of Finn with her fathers until she had him back, but now that the subject had been breached, she wasn't going to lie. "Sort of. There's a very strong chance that Finn is working in a music store somewhere in the city of New York."

"But you haven't spoken with him have you?"

"No. He's still hiding. The only reason we believe he's in New York is because Sam discovered that the 917 area code is for New York City."

"Wait, who's Sam?"

"Finn's best friend. We've been keeping in touch to try to find him. Finn's only called his mother once since he left Toledo. They had no idea where he went." Rachel paused as she looked sternly at her concerned father. "I'm going to find Finn. I don't care how long it takes. Once I do…we're going to be together. I know you don't approve, but it's my decision. I'm 18 and in college and you can't try to control my life."

Leroy gave her a soft smile. "We know. Your father and I have come to the realization that you aren't our baby girl anymore. You're a grown woman, a strong, independent, smart, determined, woman. You'll always be our daughter but you aren't our little baby anymore." Tears came to his eyes as Rachel softened and opened her arms to hug him. He pulled her hard against him and wrapped his arms around her tightly, kissing the top of her head. "We love you so much, Rachel, and we're so proud of you." He loosened his grip and looked down at her. "We're going to miss you while you're away at school."

"Well, I'll be back at Thanksgiving. It's less than three months." She smiled.

"Rachel, we're doing dessert now. Can you bring out the cupcakes and pies?" Kurt called from back door.

"Yeah, we'll be right out," she yelled in reply. She hugged her Dad tightly once more. "It's not that long Dad. I'll be okay."

The next morning, Burt and Rachel's dads made sure everyone had their stuff together and in the U-Haul before splitting into their smaller groups. Kurt would be riding with Burt while Rachel and Santana would be with the Berrys. As Santana's parents had to work, they were unable to see their daughter to school so Hiram and Leroy said they would make sure she got there safe and sound.

The drive was long and boring as Rachel listened to her iPod and stared out the window at the wilderness around her in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She couldn't wait for the bright lights and impressive skyline of Manhattan to come into view, her new home where she would make a name for herself.

When they finally arrived, Rachel was in awe. It was even brighter than it had been when she had been there as a 12 year old. She and Santana smiled at each other in the backseat as they made their way to a parking garage that would be big enough to park the U-Haul for the night. As soon as her Dad's car was parked next to it, Rachel scrambled out of the backseat to find Kurt. She, Kurt and Santana all started squealing about how they had finally made it and jumped up and down in a three way hug until Burt broke them up to remind them they needed to check into their hotel for that night.

They grabbed the overnight bags they had packed and started to walk the few blocks to the hotel but with the amount of energy Rachel had from sleeping in the car most of the day, she felt like she could run from Battery Park all the way to the Bronx. The adults led the way while the kids chattered animatedly behind them about what they should do first until they made it to Times Square where they would be staying in the Marriott.

Once checked in, everyone quickly changed for a night out on the town. They had a reservation at a ritzy Italian place on Fifth and enjoyed their last night all together as once Rachel and Kurt were settled into their dorms the next day, Burt, Leroy and Hiram would be off to Sarah Lawrence to help Santana get settled. The evening progressed quickly and by the time they made it back to their rooms, everyone was pretty tired. While Burt, Leroy and Hiram went to the lounge to indulge in a beer or two, Kurt and the girls watched a movie.

The three of them were curled up in bed in their pajamas, eating some candy they had bought. "I hope we can get used to this fast paced lifestyle. I'm exhausted and it's only been a few hours," Rachel confessed.

"We were traveling all day too. We'll get so used to it eventually the pace in Lima will seem dead," Kurt replied.

"As great as Sarah Lawrence will be I'm sure, I kinda wish I'd be in the city with you guys. This place is fantastic."

Rachel leaned her head on Santana's shoulder. "You can always come down on weekends to help us look for Finn."

"Sounds like a blast," she replied with sarcasm.

"Just because I am on a mission doesn't mean it won't be fun. We'll get to explore every part of the city and see what's around. Plus, if he isn't in Manhattan, we'll get to see the other boroughs as well."

"But we're praying he'll be in Manhattan. Do you realize how long it will take to search all five boroughs? And there's no guarantee we'll even find him."

"Stop being so pessimistic, Kurt. I have faith that I will find him. He's here somewhere." Rachel glanced toward the window. "He has to be."

The next day was a blur as Rachel moved into her dorm. Her roommate, Georgia Timmons, hadn't arrived yet but according to the information sheet she had on her and the few times they had spoken via Facebook, she seemed like a nice girl. They were both in the Tisch School at NYU and were studying musical theatre. It meant that they would be competition for roles but Rachel was confident enough in her abilities to not feel threatened.

Soon her dads were gone and she was alone in her room setting up. Once that was finished, she walked down two floors to find Kurt and his roommate. Luckily for him, his roommate was a giant sweetheart and not homophobic at all unlike the boys across the hall who had already shoved Kurt into the wall as they walked past him and heard him telling Luke, his new roommate, about his boyfriend. Besides those two assholes, the rest of the people on his floor whom Rachel and Kurt had been meeting left and right seemed very friendly.

"So, you're all settled in now and we don't have anything to do until the first day of orientation on Monday. Let's start looking for him now, please?" Rachel inquired of Kurt as he plopped down on his bed once he was finished putting his clothes into the too small closet.

"Rachel, we just got here. I don't think one day will make a difference."

Rachel shot to her feet and turned on him. "One day could make all the difference! Do you realize if I had gone to Toledo the night I left my dads I could have found him instead of waiting? Kurt, we've been apart for months."

"Who are you looking for?" Luke asked as he walked out of the bathroom that connected their room with the one next to it.

"My boyfriend. He's somewhere in New York and I need to find him," Rachel said, all business before turning back to Kurt and pleading with him.

Luke didn't understand. "If he's your boyfriend, why don't you know where he is?"

She sighed. "It's a very long and complicated story. Cliff Notes, he left me to protect me but he doesn't need to protect me anymore and I need to find him and tell him that so we can be together again. Please, Kurt?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and got to his feet. "Fine! Let me get some more comfortable shoes on if we're going to be walking all over this island all day."

All day turned into weeks, then months, without any success. When they had started it had been late August, now it was late October. With school taking up the majority of her time, Rachel had limited days to look.

There was a nip in the air and Rachel pulled her red pea coat tighter around her as the wind whipped around her tight clad legs. Why she had chosen to wear a skirt that day, she didn't know. Needing something hot to keep her going, Rachel found the closest coffee place, one of the over 700 Starbuck's on the island of Manhattan, and got herself a plain coffee. She was on her own that day as Kurt was hurriedly working on a paper he had yet to finish. Rachel was caught up on all her work unlike everyone else she knew so indulged by spending her Friday wandering around Upper Manhattan, close to starting on the Bronx. She had just found a seat in the corner when her phone rang. It was Sam.

"Hey Sam! What's up?"

"Hold onto your hat, Rachel, I've got news!"

Rachel's heart pounded in her chest as his words bounced around inside her head. What news?

"What news?"

"Finn called me like an hour ago to let me know how he was doing because Carole had told him I was concerned last time they talked. He still didn't mention where he was when I asked but he seems less concerned with us finding out."

Rachel was impatient for information. "The point, Sam! Get to the point!"

"Yeah, anyway, he's at the music store he works at, Beats on Flatbush Avenue near Prospect Park in Brooklyn."

"Are you sure? How do you know?" Rachel's heart was beating so fast she thought it might burst out of her chest.

"He called me from work and put me on hold. An ad for the store plays over the system when you're on hold. I even called back and he answered saying the name of the store. I looked it up and it's in Brooklyn. If you hurry, he's probably still there now."

"Sam, if we weren't over the phone right now I would kiss you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You're welcome. Now stop wasting your time talking to me and go find Finn!"

"I will! Thank you, Sam! Bye!" She hung up and quickly exited the coffee shop, totally forgetting about her coffee. Rachel mapped out the quickest route to the address that Sam had just texted her, adrenaline racing in her veins and her hopes rising rapidly.

Rachel was going to find Finn. Today. She could feel it.


	22. At Last

As Finn hung up the phone after his conversation with Sam ended, he pulled out his cell phone and looked through his pictures. He didn't know why he even had the cell phone. No one ever called him except for Eric occasionally when he left the apartment. Their apartment didn't even have a phone unless you counted the store phone which could be answered upstairs. He supposed it was because it felt weird not to have one. Even after all this time, he still half expected to get a call or text from Rachel until he remembered he left her behind.

As he scrolled through the memories of his old life he finally came to the lone picture he had of Rachel. He wondered why he never took more. She was so beautiful and photogenic and deserved to be photographed like the goddess she was. She didn't even know he had taken the picture as she had been asleep. He couldn't not take it though.

_Rachel looked so peaceful as she slept, exhausted from their Saturday of lovemaking. It was one of the rare occasions she had been able to spend the weekend, citing that she would be at Santana's to get out of the house while Santana was visiting family. Her body was bathed in the soft rays of light streaming in through his blinds, making her olive skin look incandescent. She was lying on her front, her back uncovered as his sheets wrapped around her legs and waist. Her hair fanned out on the pillow next to her head as her face was turned outward and her hand was placed delicately on the pillow next to her head lying on her other arm._

_Quietly, Finn grabbed his phone and turned off the flash as he knelt down next to his bed to get on Rachel's level. He got the perfect angle and snapped the picture. Finn smiled at the result. It wasn't quite as perfect as the real thing, but pictures never would be. Nothing could replace the real thing._

_He put his phone on the side table and leaned forward to press a light kiss to Rachel's forehead, unfortunately waking her from her quiet slumber. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled when she saw him kneeling there._

"_What are you doing?" she asked sleepily before yawning widely._

_The corner of his mouth turned up in a grin. "Just admiring how beautiful my girlfriend is."_

"_Were you watching me sleep?"_

"_No." She didn't look convinced. "Maybe. You just looked so pretty."_

_She pushed herself up onto her elbows then and placed her chin on her shoulder, her wavy hair cascading half down her back and half in front of her chest. "I'm surprised you're awake. Didn't I tucker you out?" She chuckled at him before rolling onto her back, exposing her breasts to him. She patted the spot she had just been lying in, wanting him to join her._

_He made to slide in next to her but she stopped him. "Finn, I distinctly remember that you were naked when I fell asleep…" She eyed the sweatpants he threw on to go check the mail and make himself a sandwich until he removed them earning a smile. "That's better." Rachel grinned at him and rewarded his nudity with a kiss as he climbed back into his bed next to her. She snuggled against him and laid her head on his chest, swirling her fingers over his bare skin. "I'm still a little sleepy. Can I finish my nap? I'll have a lot more energy for our amorous activities later," she stated with a little glint in her eye as she looked up at him._

"_Sweet dreams, Rachel." He kissed her forehead and they both fell silent as they snuggled closer and slipped back into their afternoon nap._

Finn smirked at the memory of what happened after that nap. Rachel hadn't been kidding about the energy thing. They did it in every room in all of their favorite positions.

He missed Rachel. He missed her laugh and the way she looked at him with such love. He missed her ambition and the way she always spoke with conviction and the sound of her singing while in the shower or the kitchen. He missed curling up on the couch with her watching movies and TV and arguing over whether to watch TLC or Spike. He missed making love to her. Finn hadn't been with anyone since Rachel and he didn't want to be. It felt like cheating to even consider it when he still was so in love with her. He would probably remain celibate for the rest of his days if he couldn't have Rachel.

Fuck. He was miserable and there was nothing he could do about it. Finn thought the solution to moving on had presented itself when his cousin Alex on his dad's side called to tell him he was getting married and wanted Finn to be in the wedding party. Alex lived in Seattle and before Finn even knew what he was really doing, he asked him if maybe he could visit for a while. A change of scenery would do him some good. A new city, new people, a new life. So, the next day he took the first flight out to Seattle he could get to try and start over.

Only, he really hated Seattle. It rained constantly, was always wet even if it wasn't raining, there were hipsters everywhere, and way too many hills to walk up. He stayed until Alex's wedding three months later then decided to try someplace else. A few college friends had spread out throughout the country and claimed Finn was always welcome to visit so he called and asked if he could.

Finn managed to make it to Pasadena where he stayed with his friend Molly and her girlfriend and twin toddlers for about two days before their toddlers annoyed the piss out of him so much with their hatred of him that he moved on quickly and then his friend Griffin's ranch in Montana for two weeks helping out with his horses until he fell face first into a large pile of horse crap and decided ranching was not for him. Then Finn made his way to Chicago where his friend Patrick worked for the Chicago Blackhawks as a camera operator. It was pretty sweet when he scored him some free tickets to a game and got to meet some of the players, but it wasn't sweet when Pat's girlfriend started to come onto him while they were drunk at a party and shoved her tongue down his throat. Pat punched him in the face and threw him out of his house. Luckily, Eric had dropped in to visit Patrick before the disaster happened.

Eric and Finn weren't exactly the closest of friends, but Eric was an okay guy. He was extremely loyal and very forgiving and when he offered Finn a job managing his dead uncle's music store and teaching music lessons as well as cheap rent for the apartment above the store, he accepted. The only problem was…the job and apartment were in Brooklyn.

Finn fought with himself for days over whether or not to take Eric up on his offer. As he was staying in a cheap ass motel that he was pretty sure was giving him fleas and couldn't very well go back to Toledo, he caved. After all, New York was a huge city. What were the chances he and Rachel would ever run into each other? It's not like she would even know he was there.

And that was where Finn had been since the last week of July. His life was simple and boring but at least he had a job, a roof over his head, food in his stomach, and no one looking at him with death glares for sleeping with a student. The only problem was Rachel.

No matter what he did, she never left his mind. Everything reminded him of her and though he'd never admit it to anyone, he sometimes found himself crying at random points during the day when he thought about her. There were so many times he wanted to say fuck it and call her or better yet go to her but he couldn't do it. He couldn't take that chance with her future. She needed her dads whether she realized it or not and he couldn't come between them. He would ruin her and that was just not acceptable.

Finn looked at the picture of Rachel one last time before closing his phone. He glanced toward the clock and noticed it was nearly four. He had a student coming in shortly that he was working with on percussion.

He ran upstairs to the apartment he shared with Eric and told him to mind the store while he had his lesson and when he came back downstairs, Greg was waiting with his mom. They moved down the hall as Eric traipsed down the stairs and noticed it was Greg there. He lit up and ran his fingers through his hair to freshen up to speak with Greg's mother, the finest woman in all of Brooklyn in his opinion.

Little did Finn know, as he was teaching Greg how to keep a beat on the snare, Rachel was on the Q train into Brooklyn. She was excited but so nervous. What if he didn't want to see her and continued to push her away? What if he had found someone else? What if he had fallen out of love with her? While Rachel subscribed to that old saying 'absence makes the heart grow fonder', what if Finn went with 'out of sight, out of mind'? She didn't think she could bear it if Finn didn't want to see her. But she had to try. Rachel would never know until she tried.

When she got to her stop she ascended from underground and stepped into Brooklyn. She had never actually been to Brooklyn despite being in New York for two months and she hoped she wouldn't get lost. According to her directions, the store was only a few blocks away from her stop. She eagerly walked toward Beats and when it came into view she flailed internally, keeping a calm exterior. It wouldn't do to look like an insane person.

As she stood outside the front door, she took a deep steadying breath, readying herself for whatever was going to happen, good or bad. Rachel pulled the handle of the door and it opened out, a bell ringing overhead. She stepped into the store, walls covered in instruments of all sorts, racks of song books and other equipment everywhere, and oldies music playing softly from above. The counter was toward the back and she slowly approached it to find a man in his twenties with shaggy brown hair flirting very obviously with a woman who was probably old enough to be his mother. She cleared her throat to earn his attention as he had yet to notice her.

The man glanced at Rachel before looking back to the older woman. "One moment, Mona." He went back to Rachel. "Hello. How can I help you today?" He gave her a very forced smile.

"Um, hi." Her eyes darted around the room searching for Finn. "Finn isn't here by chance is he?" she asked shyly. This was the point she had always been turned down. Except for that one time when her hopes had gotten high when the manager said he was in the back. Unfortunately when he called him up front Finn turned out to be a greasy 16 year old boy who told Rachel she had a nice ass.

"He's in a lesson right now. He should be done around 4:30 if you want to wait. Are you here for a lesson with him?"

Not wanting to get kicked out for seeming like a stalker, Rachel went with it. "Yes, it's my first one. I guess I'm just super early."

"Okay. Well, like I said, he'll be done around 4:30. Feel free to look around." He gave her one last smile then went back to speaking with Mona.

Rachel wandered around, looking through songbooks and actually finding some that would be helpful for her solos. Everyone tended to sing Broadway classics in her voice classes which made it very difficult to stand out. While she had been the biggest fish in McKinley pond, she was now a big fish in bigger pond with a bunch of other big fish. Everyone she met at Tisch was immensely talented and definitely gave her a run for her money. If she wanted to be noticed, she had to think outside the Broadway box more often.

The minutes ticked by slowly and almost as if the universe were trying to tell Rachel her wait was over, Etta James' At Last came on and played over head as she heard the familiar dulcet tones of Finn's voice from down the hallway next to the counter. Her heart melted as she peeked around the shelf she was behind to see him walking toward the front with a smile on his face as he patted a young boy on the shoulder. She had found him. Rachel had actually found Finn.

"You've improved a lot since our last lesson. See, practicing really does help, Greg." Greg shrugged but took Finn's hand when he offered it to shake. "See you on Tuesday, bud."

Eric said goodbye to Mona and Greg then turned to Finn who sat down in the chair behind the counter to go back to reading his magazine. "Dude, your 4:30 is here."

"What? I don't have a 4:30," Finn said, no idea what Eric was talking about.

"Yeah, she's new. She's right over there." Eric pointed toward where Rachel was standing, her back to them as she pretended to look at some Disney songbooks.

Finn got up from his chair to figure out who this person was. He had checked his schedule various times that day. He didn't have a 4:30. As he got closer he started speaking. "Uh, hi. Did we have a lesson planned?"

Rachel's breathing was shallow as she slowly turned around to face the man she loved. His mouth fell open and his eyes widened as he looked at her. "Rachel," he breathed out, just above a whisper.

"Hi, Finn." That was it? After seven months apart, that was the first thing she said to him?

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Finn looked around nervously like someone was going to jump out and attack him.

"I came to find you. I had to find you, Finn."

"You need to leave, Rachel. You shouldn't…you shouldn't be here." He turned away from her and started toward the back. How did she find him? How could she have possibly found him? There was no two ways about it, Finn had to leave again. He had to disappear and make it stick this time. It was killing him not to take Rachel into his arms and kiss her face off and tell her how sorry he was and how much he loved her and always would, but he couldn't do that. It wasn't fair to her. But he got two steps before Rachel grabbed his hand and somehow made him stop.

"Finn, please look at me," she demanded, tears in her voice. Great he was making her cry.

His head fell forward. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because if I do, I won't be able to stop," his voice cracked. "You need to go."

"Finn, no! Don't you dare leave me again! Not after everything I've done to find you!" She was stern as she yelled at him. He wanted to turn around and tell her he would never leave again but he just couldn't. "Finn, whatever crazy idea you have about not being good enough for me or that you'll ruin my life or keep me from my dream…it's just that, crazy."

"It's not crazy, it's true."

"No, it's not. Can you please look at me? Talk to me?" She squeezed his hand harder and his resolve broke. He turned around and looked into Rachel's tear filled eyes. But then she smiled and threw herself against him, her arms wrapping tightly around his body in a vice. She pressed her face into his chest and he couldn't keep himself from breaking and holding her back, kissing the top of her head. When she looked up, his hands held her face and he leaned down to kiss her.

It was like an explosion of feeling as their lips met for the first time in seven months. Color burst behind his eyelids and the taste of her lips and mouth was so deliciously strong on his tongue. Her body felt perfect pressed against his, her hands tightly gripping the back of his shirt, not daring to let go.

Rachel had never felt so alive. It was as if she had died when Finn left, taking her breath with him and stopping her heart, but kissing him was breathing new life into her. Her heart pounded in her chest harder and faster than she could have ever imagined and her nerves were completely alight. His hands on her face felt warm and rough and his lips meshed with hers perfectly, as if no time had passed at all; like they had never been apart. It was the most perfect kiss either had ever had until Eric butted in.

"Dude! What the hell are you doing?"

Finn pulled away, remembering where he was finally. Rachel still had yet to let go for fear that if she did, Finn would run or disappear before her eyes. He looked back at Eric then back to Rachel before taking her hand and pulling her toward the hall he had come from.

"Watch the store. This is my 4:30," he said to Eric who didn't seem to believe him but shrugged it off anyway. As soon as they were in the lesson room, the door shut behind them, Finn started asking questions. "What are you doing here, Rachel? How did you find me? Don't you know how stupid it is for you to be here with me?"

"Finn, it's not stupid! I love you and I know you love me and we can be together-"

"No, we can't, Rachel." He sighed. "I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to mess up your future or your relationship with your dads. They said if we stayed together they'd cut you off. They would disown you. You should go now before they find out you spoke to me." Rachel had started laughing after he mentioned they would disown her. "What is funny about this, Rachel?"

"Finn, I left my dads. After I realized I could move out and live with you, they threatened to cut me off. I didn't care though. _You_ are more important to me. Even after you disappeared, I still left and vowed to find you." Rachel explained the seven months that happened after she walked out on her dads and how Kurt had taken her in and Sam had helped her find him. He sat quietly, his arms crossed over his chest and his mouth in a thin line as he listened. "My dads have accepted the fact that I will never give you up for anything. They're finally letting me grow up and make my own decisions."

"So, they didn't disown you?" he asked slowly.

She shook her head. "More like I disowned them…but we're working on our relationship. I still don't fully trust them but, we're better. When they found out I was looking for you and knew you were in New York, they didn't try to stop me or tell me no. They didn't threaten me. Finn, you aren't going to come between my fathers and me anymore. You aren't going to ruin my future or my dream. You can't ruin my dream when you're part of it."

Finn softened as she told him he was part of her dream. He had never about himself that way; that he had become entwined in her future and her dream of New York. "I'm part of your dream?"

She nodded. "For the past seven months, I've been alive but I haven't really been living. You are part of what gives me joy and makes me want to do better. Fame and fortune is great, Finn, but it isn't everything." Rachel stepped closer to him and took his hand in hers, running her fingers over his rough palms and his veins and knuckles, tracing every bit of it. "I want everything. I want to come home at night to the man I love and have a family with him and grow old with him. That man is you. I want you, Finn. There's nothing standing in our way anymore."

Finn lifted Rachel's hand and looked down at it as his fingers lightly caressed hers. He paid particular attention to her third finger on her left hand. "I'm so sorry I left you. I never wanted to." He was getting choked up again.

"I know you didn't."

"Rachel, I love you." He leaned down to kiss her and Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck as he picked her up to get a better angle, her legs wrapping around his waist. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

"I do, Finn, I do. I just want you."

"I want you too. I promise, if you take me back, I'll never leave you again. I love you, so much."

"Of course I'll take you back. How could you even think I wouldn't? You're my soulmate." She kissed him back and wove her fingers into his hair as his hands gripped her behind. "I love you," she breathed against his lips, pressing her forehead against his.

"I love you." He looked into her eyes and she gave him a little pleased smirk, her eyes dark with lust, as she began rubbing her center against his body.

He placed her back on her feet and she undid her coat, tossing it onto a nearby cymbal. Finn swallowed thickly as Rachel placed her hands on his chest before tugging the zipper of his hoodie down until it was completely open. She pushed the hoodie off his body as his hands began tugging her shirt over her head. Rachel did the same to him and before either could be bothered to completely remove all their garments, Rachel pushed Finn down onto the piano bench. She stepped out of her flats and tugged her tights and skirt off as Finn undid his button and fly. Rachel pulled her bra off and helped Finn push his pants and boxers low enough to expose his length.

She straddled his body as he guided hers down onto his erection and they both released deep moans as they connected for the first time in months. Rachel almost felt virginal as Finn stretched her walls and filled her deeply, a minor pain that managed to feel entirely pleasurable. She pressed her chest to his as their lips met again and Finn's hands skimmed over the span of her soft flesh as she slowly began moving her hips, savoring the feeling of being reunited with Finn.

Rachel had imagined this moment so many times but all the fantasies paled in comparison to the real thing. Finn was with her again and still loved her more than ever. He was hers and she was his and nothing was going to change that now that she had him back.

Her breath hitched and she trembled as Finn's hand cupped her breast like it was the most precious thing in the world. Their lips broke apart and Rachel looked into Finn's face, full of awe as he stared back into hers. She smiled before kissing him again, more passionately this time, and rolled her hips forward, enjoying having Finn back inside her.

Finn was still stunned. Only an hour ago he'd been reminiscing in moments past shared with Rachel, knowing he could never have her again, and now she was back in his arms making love to him. He knew it was ridiculous to believe she'd so easily take him back after he broke her heart and left her behind and he knew he wasn't good enough for her or deserving of her love, but it couldn't stop him from submitting to his emotions now that she was there. He loved Rachel so completely. Even if she was lying about her dads being okay with this and he would always think he wasn't right for Rachel, he loved her too much and needed her too much to ever let her go again willingly. It was utterly selfish of him but he didn't care. He needed Rachel.

Rachel had never felt so good in his arms, against his body, her walls snugly clenching around his cock as her hips moved against his. His back was pressed against the piano, his head hitting the music stand as Rachel's lips descended on his body, along his jaw, down his neck to suck on the spot where neck met shoulder. She sucked hard, surely trying to leave a mark to claim him, and her little soft hands slid down to hold his sides as she rode him and sucked on his skin.

He needed to make her come. It had been so long since he had the pleasure of doing so and he needed to know he still could. His name on her lips and the way she threw her head back and made these tiny little noises as she held onto him like she would float away always made him feel like a king at knowing he could make her feel so good. He wanted that feeling again. He wanted to know that she felt good because of him.

His hand slipped between their bodies and found her nub, tracing around it, her body shuddering as he worked her up. She kissed back up his neck until she reached his mouth to kiss him once more, tugging on his bottom lip with her teeth before pulling away to look down at his thumb working over her clit. Her breathing accelerated, her chest rising and falling as her taught stomach clenched and unclenched as her orgasm built. She was going to come and told him so. "I'm gonna come, Finn," she said through a breath before her head fell back. Her face pinched as she shook on top of him, her body reacting hard to Finn's motions, until she couldn't keep it going any longer and melted into Finn as he bucked his hips up, his own grunts escaping his lips as he came right behind her, right inside her. The feeling made her warm and fuzzy from the top of her head to the tips of her toes and for the first time in a long time, Rachel finally felt truly content.

Finn wrapped his arms around Rachel and held her close, pressing kisses to the side of her head as he whispered sweetly to her, "I love you." He kissed her head again before she lifted it to meet his lips. They sat there in bliss, love and happiness and relief permeating their beings, until Finn spoke again. "We should talk."

Rachel looked at him, worry etched in her features. "About what?"

"About us. This is all so sudden. An hour ago I never thought I'd see you again and now you're here in my arms like nothing happened. It just seems so surreal…and to be honest, it seems really crazy to me that after what your dads put you through they'd be okay with us being together."

Rachel placed a gentle, reassuring kiss on his lips. "Finn, I promise, my dads have accepted my choice to be with you. Even if they hadn't, I don't care. If they can't accept that we love each other, I don't need them. I love you, Finn. It doesn't matter what has passed and what will happen. As long as I have you…I know everything will be alright."

Finn looked at the time on the clock on the opposite wall. "Would you like to go upstairs? My shift ended at five."

"What's upstairs?"

"My apartment. Well, I share it with Eric, but he'll be down here until at least eight."

Rachel nodded her head. "Okay."

They got dressed quickly and before Finn could open the door, Rachel gripped his hand tightly in hers. She was still afraid he might try to run away. Honestly, Finn didn't mind the contact. If he could, he'd never stop touching Rachel ever again.

They hurried upstairs and into Finn's bedroom where he locked the door behind him. The moment felt so familiar yet entirely new. Rachel stared at his bed, much smaller than his old one as it was only a double instead of the king he had at his old apartment in Ohio, and like the first time she had seen where he slept, fingered the material of his soft blanket. Finn stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her temple as her head fell back against his shoulder.

"What happened to you, Finn? Why did you leave me and disappear?" She needed more details to understand why he had made the decision to go.

He turned her around to look at her. "I wanted to protect you. Your dads…I couldn't be sure if they were bluffing and I didn't want to take the chance they were. You worked too hard for everything to throw it away on a loser like me." Rachel placed her hand on his cheek and softly rubbed her thumb against his skin.

"You aren't a loser, Finn."

"But I am. I got fired. I deserved to get fired. Now I work at a music store for a modern day hippie. I'm not exactly a Manhattan big wig."

Rachel laughed despite his sad tone. "But you still get to teach. It may not be at a high school, but you get to teach something you're passionate about to people who want to learn. You love music and now you get to share that love with others; get to teach them about it. A loser wouldn't do that. They'd sit on their ass and whine about how their life sucks."

"I've done my fair share of sitting on my ass and whining about how my life sucks."

Rachel rolled her eyes at him. "You aren't a loser, Finn, you know why?"

"Why?"

"I don't fall head over heels in love with losers. Losers don't find soulmates who would search every music store on the island of Manhattan and beyond for the one they love."

Finn sighed and sank down on his bed. Rachel sat next to him and held his hand in her lap. "I should never have left you," he replied solemnly to the floor.

"No, you shouldn't have."

He looked into Rachel's face with pure determination. "I swear to you, with every part of me, that I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you. Anything you want, I promise I'll do it. I just can't lose you again. I won't walk away ever again."

Rachel pressed her forehead to Finn's and closed her eyes. She could feel his breath on her lips, his hand slipping into her hair at the nape of her neck, his other hand on her waist. "All I want from you…is you. I don't want you to feel guilty forever, I don't want you to ever think you aren't good enough for me or that you'll bring me down. I don't want you worry about my dads. And right now, I really want you to kiss me. Can you do all that for me?" She pulled away to watch him nod his head and smile.

"Yeah, I can." He exhaled slowly as he realized they were now really back together…forever. There was no way he was _ever_ letting her go again. Then he kissed her with every good feeling he could muster before they fell back onto the bed and into their old pattern of expressing their deep love for one another physically.

Sometime later, after the sun had set and Friday turned into Saturday, Finn and Rachel found themselves wound up in each other and Finn's sheets, sweaty and shaking as Finn laid his head on Rachel's chest. She kissed his forehead and he kissed her breast before tilting his head up to look into her sparkling chocolate eyes. Her skin was dewy and her hair was a mess as it framed her face but the large, satisfied smile on her lips made Finn's heart, and ego, soar.

"Will you stay with me?" he asked her quietly. She nodded her head. "You're the best girlfriend ever."

"I will never tire of hearing you say that." She rewarded him with another kiss.

"You know, now that we're in New York and I'm not your teacher and we don't need to worry about getting caught…we can finally have our first real date."

"That's right. We never got to have our first date." Rachel pouted but Finn kissed it away. "Where shall we go on this first of many dates we will surely have?"

"That is a surprise." His brow furrowed in thought. "What nights do you have available? I'll need some prep time to make it really perfect."

Rachel giggled at his enthusiasm. "I'm free on Wednesday and Friday evenings and most weekends. I have rehearsal until late on the other days which means that eventually you're going to have to let me leave this apartment." She chuckled again and Finn held her tighter.

"Never."

A yawn escaped Rachel's mouth as the emotional and reunion/make up sex filled day rapidly hit her. Finn slid off her body to her right and she turned facing away from him to be the little spoon tucked safely inside his big spoon. Finn reached over her to turn off his lamp and as he settled comfortably back against her, Rachel asked him a question.

"You'll still be here in the morning when I wake up right? You won't try to leave?"

Finn turned Rachel's face and did his best to find her lips in the dark to give her a heartfelt reassuring kiss. "I'm never leaving again. You're stuck with me."

He could hear the smile in her voice as she responded. "Good."

* * *

><p>Reunited and it feels so gooood! Only one more chapter and the epilogue after this, but that doesn't mean there isn't time for a lot more to happen...<p> 


	23. Beautiful Disaster

He shouldn't be so nervous yet he was as he waited in the lobby of Rachel's building for her to come downstairs. They had spent every moment they could together since Rachel had found him and all those times had been easy and carefree as they instantly fell into old habits but now his nerves were wracked. It was a very important night for the two of them, their very first real date, and he wanted it to be perfect. Unfortunately, Rachel was delaying the perfect by being nearly fifteen minutes late to meet him downstairs.

Finn adjusted his tie for the hundredth time since putting it on and checked his phone for the time again. Seven forty-two. Their reservation was for eight and if they missed their name being called it would be given away. It wouldn't take that long to get to the restaurant but he wanted to arrive early if at all possible and they were cutting it close.

He puffed out his cheek and blew out a breath again as he held the bouquet he'd bought for Rachel in one hand and stuffed the other in his pocket. Then he pulled out his phone again. Seven forty-four. They now had sixteen minutes to find a cab and go over six blocks in traffic to make it on time. He had a feeling they weren't going to make it.

Finally, the elevator dinged and Rachel stepped out of it. She took Finn's breath away in her flowing cream chiffon dress that fell just below her knee with her soft lavender wrap around her shoulders. Her hair was in a low side pony, the ends curled, and her face framed by her thick bangs and wavy strands of hair on either of her face. She looked beautiful until her face turned into a grimace at realizing how late she was.

"I am so sorry, Finn. I had planned on showering at five to be sure I had enough time but a pipe burst and they shut the water off for the entire building. I had to run over to my friend's dorm to use her shower and then when I got back and was ready to get in my dress, I opened the dry cleaning bag and it wasn't my dress. They gave me the wrong one so I had to go back to get mine and it was big to do because the woman working didn't speak or read English very well which was why I ended up with Rachelle Berrin's dress instead," Rachel explained rapidly all in one breath.

Finn just gave her a tight smile and took her hand, trying not to totally drag her out the door. "It's fine. We just really need to hurry to get to the restaurant. I don't want to lose our reservation." They stepped outside and Finn tried to hail a taxi but every one that passed was occupied.

As Rachel waited patiently, she noticed the flowers in Finn's hand. "Are those for me?"

Finn looked down at where she was staring. "Oh, yeah. I picked them out special. I remember you said you love Asiatic lilies and Gerber daisies so I mixed them with some roses." He smiled at her as she beamed at him. Rachel took the bouquet from him and sniffed the flowers as Finn was finally able to get a taxi. He helped Rachel in then moved around to the other side. He gave the address of the restaurant and told the cabbie there was an extra twenty in it for him if he could manage to get them there before eight.

As his bad luck would have it, they did not make it in time. Though it was only six blocks away, the roads were so congested they were nearly 15 minutes late. Finn really hoped they'd still be able to squeeze them in but when he tried talking to the hostess, she wouldn't budge. If they wanted a table they would have to wait.

He and Rachel sat in the waiting area for nearly 45 minutes before the woman finally said she could seat them. Finn was pretty sure the woman had been lying about not having any free tables because when they walked to their table all the way in the back they had passed plenty of empty ones.

When the woman left them alone Rachel commented on it, "I don't understand why we had to wait so long when they have empty tables. We were 15 minutes late, not an hour."

"I know. Stupid fancy restaurants."

Rachel chuckled at Finn's audacity. "Don't worry. One day I'll be so famous we'll be able to get the best table right when we walk in," she said with an air of superiority, her nose in the air, before she cracked a smile and started to laugh. She then cracked open her menu. "So why did you pick this place?"

"It's supposed to have really good sushi and I know you love sushi but didn't get to eat it much because Lima didn't really have any good sushi places. I thought you'd like it." There was worry in his tone as he wondered if he had made the right choice. Did the wait turn her off to it completely?

Rachel only beamed at his thoughtfulness and leaned over the table to reward him with a kiss. "That's so sweet, Finn. Thank you." She softly kissed him again but they broke apart when their waiter came by to take their drink order then proceeded to peruse the menu. Finn didn't honestly know what half of the things he was reading were but it appeared that there were only two options for a meal, the expensive four course meal or the even more expensive eight course meal.

"Finn, this place is really expensive. We can go somewhere else…" Rachel said when she saw the prices on the menu. Even drinks were around eight dollars a pop.

"Rachel, this is a special night. Don't worry about how much it costs. I'm treating you to a great first date."

Only it wasn't going to go all that great. Things had gotten off to a rocky start, but had improved slightly when they went all out and both ordered the more expensive eight course meal. Finn figured they probably wouldn't be back to that restaurant again anytime soon and once the order was placed they were left alone to talk.

"So, we've been back together a week now and really haven't talked much." Rachel took a sip of her water. "Not that I've minded. I've enjoyed not talking with you," she added flirtatiously, making Finn blush and smile. "I told you what my last seven months have been like. What did you get up to while we were apart?" Rachel had been curious as to where Finn had been and what he had done after he left Toledo. She had been meaning to ask since they got back together but Finn always managed to distract her with a more important task.

Finn shrugged. "I traveled a bit. After my family found out about everything they were all really mad and disappointed in me and it was tough to be around them. Every time I walked into a room while I was home I could tell they had been talking about me and I hated it. Then my cousin Alex on my dad's side called me and said he was getting married and asked if I could be a groomsman. It seemed like the perfect out. No one on my dad's side knew what had happened and it would be a fresh start. So I moved to Seattle."

Rachel was surprised. "Wow, Seattle! What was it like there? I've seen pictures and it looks beautiful."

"Not for me. It rained too much. But I stayed until Alex's wedding." He then explained about visiting Molly, Griffin and Pat. Rachel laughed hysterically when he told her about the twins and how they always threw the cat on his head while he was asleep on the couch and threw all his clothes out in the muddy yard. She thought they sounded adorable and playful but Finn would always believe they were the devil incarnate twice over.

Rachel laughed even more at his humiliation when he told about falling into horse manure. "I'm sorry, Finn. I don't mean to laugh," she said through her chuckling, "but just imagining all these things is funny. You have to admit if they happened to anyone else you would laugh too."

"You're lucky I love you or this date would be over," he huffed, feigning anger. In retrospect he could see how these things would be funny.

"I'm sorry, Finn. I'll try to contain my laughter from now on. So what happened after Montana? How did you end up teaching music lessons in Brooklyn?"

"Well, I made my way to Chicago first to meet up with my friend Pat. Although he probably doesn't want to talk to me ever again now. He thought I was trying to steal his girlfriend after she kissed me."

Rachel stopped laughing completely after that admission. "A girl kissed you?"

"Yeah, we were at a party and both pretty drunk. I had started telling her about you and she seemed to think it meant that I wanted her to try to get over you. Drunk brain can have weird thoughts."

"Still, you didn't want her kissing you so she should have kept her dirty paws off you." Rachel took a deep gulp from her water.

"Are you jealous?" Finn said with smugness in his tone.

Rachel looked away from him defiantly. "Yes."

A smug smile spread across Finn's face as Rachel tried to keep herself from cracking. "I love you."

"I love you too…which is why I don't like some random girl throwing herself at you. You're mine."

Finn leaned in to give Rachel another kiss as their waiter came over again with their second course. They thanked him and continued eating as Finn continued his story. "Anyway, Eric had been visiting Pat at the time and was surprised I was there. When he found out I was looking for fresh start, he said I could work at the music store with him. I actually majored in music education with a minor in English so it wasn't like it would be a hard job. It was just tough to make the decision to come. I knew you'd be here and I was worried that we might bump into each other."

"Well I'm very glad you did decide to come. It made finding you much easier than it could have been." She smiled at him and took his hand over the table, rubbing the back of it with her thumb affectionately.

When it was time for their next course the waiter returned, jovial as he asked them how their previous courses had been. Rachel had nothing but praise for her meatless meal and Finn felt pride in his choice of restaurant. Things seemed to be looking up until the waiter was ready to leave the area. As he removed their previous dishes however, disaster began to strike. He knocked over a little cup of soy sauce all down the front of Rachel's dress. She gasped as the liquid seeped into the delicate fabric and began dabbing at it with her napkin. The waiter apologized profusely but Rachel wasn't listening. She stood up quickly and unfortunately knocked right into the tray the waiter had been carrying with their dirty dishes. They went crashing to the ground loudly and Rachel covered her mouth with her hands as she realized what she had done. Rachel looked around herself at the crowded restaurant to find all eyes on her. Dress ruined and embarrassment coloring her cheeks she quickly ran to the bathroom leaving Finn stunned at the table.

No, no, no! This couldn't be happening! This date needed to go perfectly! He had a plan and it wouldn't work if Rachel was upset. She needed to be happy because he wanted them both to be able to look back on this date as the best date ever and one of the most important days in either of their lives.

Finn angrily threw his napkin down and walked away from the table as the waiter continued to apologize as he cleaned up the mess on the floor. Finn walked to the women's bathroom and pushed the door open an inch to call out to Rachel.

"Rachel? Baby, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Finn. Go back to the table. I'll be out in a minute," she called back, her voice wavering. He had a feeling she was trying not to cry. Not caring about social convention, Finn pushed the door open and stepped into the bathroom.

"Baby, don't cry," he consoled as he rubbed her arms from behind her. Rachel jolted at his touch as she hadn't realized he had entered the bathroom.

"Finn! You can't be in here! Go back to the table!" She harshly whispered at him in the mirror. She turned around and shoved at his body to move him toward the door but he didn't budge. The man was like a rock. "Finn, I'm fine. Just go back to the table before someone comes in here."

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

Rachel's features softened as she stared up into Finn's thoughtful eyes. He cared about her so much and it melted her heart. She squeezed his upper arm reassuringly and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "I'm okay. I promise. My dress might be ruined but I'm not going to let it spoil our first date. I can just keep my wrap over it until we get back to your apartment." She gave him a toothy grin then turned back around to survey the stain on her dress. "Seriously, if you don't get out they might kick us out of here and that really would spoil our evening. So go!"

Finn shook his head disbelievingly and pressed his lips to Rachel's cheek before exiting the bathroom to head back to the table. When he arrived everything was cleaned up and their waiter had brought out refills of their drinks. Though he really wanted to eat some more as the first two courses combined barely started to fill him up, he patiently waited for Rachel to make her way back to him. She held her head high as she tried to ignore the large brown spot on her light dress and sat herself down delicately at the table.

"I certainly hope the rest of our evening won't be so…messy," Rachel commented as she placed a napkin over her dress to finish their meal.

Unfortunately, she would be wrong.

After they finished at the restaurant, Finn hailed them another cab. Rachel was a little surprised when they began heading uptown instead of toward Brooklyn. "Where are we going? I thought we were going back to your place."

Finn smiled at her as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "We will eventually. There's more to our date than just dinner though."

"Oh really? What else do you have up your sleeve?"

He smirked at her. "You'll see." A few minutes later they pulled up outside of a vegan bakery. "I know you're full from dinner but I figured we could get something sweet to take home."

"Am I not sweet enough for you?" Rachel quipped, looking up at him with a little pout on her face.

He pulled her against him and broke into a smile as he closed his eyes and kissed her. "Of course you are. I could eat you all day," he mumbled against her lips as she smacked his chest lightly.

"Let's go get some dessert before you have your way with me on the street." She took his hand and they entered the bakery.

A few minutes later they exited with a slice of vegan strawberry cheesecake and a giant chocolate cupcake. Rachel was looking forward to going back to Finn's to eat her cheesecake but they just headed further uptown.

"Where are we going now?"

"You'll see," he replied again. Rachel eyed him suspiciously. She hated when people were cryptic.

When they reached their destination and got out of the cab, Rachel tilted her head all the way back to look up at the towering skyscraper before her. They were at the Empire State Building. She was so distracted by the sheer magnificence of the building that she didn't even see when a man texting furiously walked by knocking her into Finn who had been caught off guard. Both tumbled to the ground and somehow in the process of falling down, Rachel managed to rip her dress, scrape her knee and elbow, and break a heel. Their desserts and Rachel's flowers had also been casualties in the fall.

Finn immediately helped Rachel to her feet and brushed the dirt off her dress. "Rachel, are you okay?" She lifted her ripped dress to look down at her knee which was trickling blood down her leg. Then Finn noticed the blood running down her elbow. She must have hit the pavement hard. "Oh, baby. Come on. They need to have some first aid inside."

As he helped Rachel wash her cuts after getting some bandages from an employee, Finn thought about what a disaster the night had turned into. They'd lost their reservation, Rachel's dress was completely ruined, she broke a shoe, and they had crushed their desserts and flowers in the fall, and more importantly, Rachel had bled. He had wanted this night to be all about her and for it to be special but it seemed it was ruined. Though he really didn't want to he'd have to wait to execute his plan until another night which really sucked because he didn't want to wait any longer.

"Do you want to just call it a night and go home? I wanted this night to be perfect for you but all that's happened to you is a lot of bad luck. It's like that awful Lindsay Lohan movie you made me watch with the new Kirk in it."

"_Just My Luck_?"

"I know…no one wants Lindsay Lohan's luck."

Rachel's lips pulled up into a smile. "No, the movie is called _Just My Luck_, Finn." Rachel's expression soured. "There are quite a few similarities." Before he knew what was happening Rachel kissed him hard on the mouth. When she pulled away she looked at him funny. "I don't think you stole my luck."

"I dunno…I feel pretty lucky when you're around."

"Me too." She kissed him again. "Now let's go observe Manhattan from the tallest building here."

"Are you sure? With the way things have been going…I'm afraid you might fall over the edge," he half joked. Rachel just rolled her eyes and pulled him toward the line for the elevators.

Not too long after, Finn and Rachel found themselves on the 86th floor observatory deck of the Empire State Building. The wind was cool as it whipped around their bodies and Finn suggested going inside to observe, but Rachel wanted to stay outside. She could see better from outside and could use the binoculars.

Things had been going okay as he watched Rachel marvel at how beautiful the city looked at night. They stood together along the edge looking out at the city, his arm wrapped around her shoulders as she rested her head against him. He looked down at her face to see a content smile on her lips and despite all the bad things that had happened so far that evening, he had a feeling he could turn it around still.

He gulped and took a deep breath before speaking. "Rachel," he licked his lips in anticipation.

"Hmm?" She lifted her head to look up at him with her big brown eyes.

"I love you."

"I love you too." He felt his knees weaken at the soft smile she gave him.

"There's another reason I wanted to bring you here besides just to see the city." This seemed to pique her interest. They turned to face each other, her eyebrows drawn together as her head tilted to the side. Finn's palms were sweaty as he licked his lips and swallowed again. This was a defining moment in their relationship and he was hoping it wouldn't screw them up. He was hoping it would make them stronger.

As Finn tried to find the words to say, he happened to look up and notice that heavy clouds had begun to roll in around them. Then he felt raindrops hit his face. Rachel turned away from him to look where he was staring. The wind picked up and pushed Rachel, who was unbalanced on a broken heel, which made her lose her grip on her wrap. The light material flew off her body and before she or Finn could grab it, the wind had carried it away leaving her in her sleeveless torn and stained dress. Then to add insult to injury, the sky opened up and it began to downpour.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Rachel screamed over the roar of the rain. Then she screamed when a shocking boom of thunder rocked the sky and reverberated through her body. She fell into Finn who had wrapped his arms around her protectively to usher her inside. They needed to get off the promenade if there was lightning.

When they made it inside, Rachel was drenched to the bone, her dress in complete disarray, her hair sopping wet, and her mascara running down her face. The night was over and Finn had to accept that he hadn't been able to achieve either task he had set out to accomplish – give Rachel the perfect first date and asking her to marry him.

He pulled his jacket off and draped it around Rachel's shoulders as they went back to the elevator to exit the building. They stood in the rain for a few minutes trying to hail a cab and once inside and on their way to Brooklyn, Finn apologized for how horrible the night had turned out.

"Rachel, I feel awful. I tried to give you a great night and nothing went right. I'm sorry."

"Finn, nothing that happened was your fault. _You_ did give me a great night. You were a gentleman all evening and treated me fabulously and tried so hard. All the bad things were out of your hands. Don't beat yourself up."

Finn just kissed Rachel's forehead and they fell silent for the remainder of the ride.

When they made it back to Finn's, Rachel decided to hop into the shower to wash away the stress of the day and relax while Finn grabbed himself a beer. He was upset that the evening hadn't gone as perfectly as planned and now he had to find another way to propose marriage romantically. He had messed up so much in how he had dealt with their relationship; he wasn't going to half-ass something as important as a marriage proposal.

He opened the bottle and downed a good few gulps when Eric walked in, lipstick kisses littering his face, neck and chest. "Dude, your girlfriend gonna be in the shower long? I got lipstick all over my dick." Eric pulled the waistband of his shorts away to survey his junk.

Finn made a face at him. "I really didn't need to know that, Eric." He took another swig of his beer.

"I didn't need to know every single time Rachel was coming last weekend but I did." Finn smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow. What the hell? I thought you'd be in a better mood coming home with your fiancée."

Finn's eyes widened as he made a kill motion with his hand. "Shut up!" he hissed at him, placing his beer on the counter. "I haven't asked her yet. Nothing went right tonight and I missed my chance."

"You didn't miss your chance. Everyone thinks girls want a big huge sweeping gesture of a proposal. Is that really necessary? Isn't what's important the fact that you're willing to put a ring on it?"

"After everything Rachel and I have been through I just wanted it to be special for her. She deserves something special, not some crummy 'hey, wanna get hitched?'."

Eric clapped him on the shoulder. "When the right moment comes, you'll know it."

"That's much better," Rachel announced as she exited the bathroom in her cute pink heart covered nightgown. It wasn't exactly sexy but Finn was going to tear it off her anyway. Neither of them had had sex for seven months and the four days they had been able to spend together over the week had not been enough time to fully reacquaint themselves and make up for all those months of lost opportunities.

Eric rubbed his hands together and moved past Rachel to get to the bathroom.

"Is his lady friend, whomever that may be, still here?" Rachel inquired as she worked on brushing out her wet hair. According to Finn, Eric had a revolving door on his bedroom that never seemed to allow the same woman in twice.

Finn shrugged and leaned against the counter. "Probably not if Eric is in the shower by himself."

"Good point." Rachel wrapped her arms around Finn's waist and pushed up onto her toes to give him a kiss. "Thank for you for trying to make our first date perfect. You're the best."

"I wish things could have worked out better."

Rachel bit her lip playfully. "The night isn't over yet." She pressed her lips against his ear. "I'm not wearing any underwear," she confessed, running her hand down Finn's chest to tug at his pants waist.

Finn pushed off the counter he was leaning against to tower over Rachel before suddenly picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder, making her squeal in surprise. She giggled as he ran them into his room and slammed the door behind him then threw her down onto the bed. He kicked his shoes off and started unbuttoning his shirt until the tiny buttons annoyed him enough that he just ripped the damn thing off.

"Wow!" Rachel commented as he began pulling his under shirt off, fighting to get it over his head while attempting to remove his socks. Rachel had never seen him quite so rushed. "You can slow down, Finn. I'm not going anywhere." He threw his t-shirt to the side and worked on unbuttoning his pants, finally getting down to only his boxers.

He hopped onto the bed and crawled toward Rachel who had scooted back and began to lay back on her elbows as Finn moved over her. "Can you blame me for being eager? We've been apart for so long."

"Believe me, I get it, but we're together now. There's nothing wrong with slowing down to enjoy each other fully."

"But there's nothing wrong with fast, quick and dirty either," he said through a grin before capturing her body in his arms and lifting them both into an upright position. "It is how our first time went."

Rachel looked up and off to the side, remembering the moment fondly as she grinned. "That was pretty great." She looked back into Finn's eyes. "I don't care what anyone says, you were the best teacher ever. I loved all the afterschool help you gave me. It was very educational."

"I'm pretty sure you were the only student of mine who benefited from my afterschool tutoring sessions."

"As long as you get through to one student, you're doing your job. Perhaps I can show you everything I learned?" Rachel offered suggestively.

Though he knew it was a horrible pun he couldn't stop it, "Are you thinking of giving an _oral_ report?"

Rachel lost it then and started laughing. "I love you." She pressed her forehead against his and closed her eyes.

The corner of Finn's mouth curled up in a half grin and as if his brain had a mind of its own, before he could even fathom stopping them, the words slip from his mouth. "Marry me, Rachel."

She stiffened in his arms and pulled her head away to look into his eyes. "What?"

Did he just say what he thought he said? No, no, no! This was half-assing it! He didn't want that! He wanted it to be perfect with a big speech about how much she means to him and how he wants to spend the rest of his life with her and at a location that wasn't in his small bedroom on his messy bed. But instead of retracting his statement or denying he said it, Finn pressed on. Ultimately, it wouldn't matter where they were as long as they were together.

"I, uh," he swallowed then licked his extremely dry lips. Finn pulled Rachel's arms from around his neck and slid her off his body so he could get up and move to his bedside table where he had put the ring upon arriving home. Rachel watched him curiously and gasped, her hand coming up to her mouth, when he pulled out a little black velvet box. Finn looked down at it sheepishly as he stood at the side of the bed facing Rachel. "It's not from Tiffany's or Harry Winston I know, but when I saw it I thought of you.

"I've known I loved you nearly from the beginning. When I first met you, I thought you were kinda insane but then I realized it wasn't insanity, it was passion, and you're so full of it and so driven and I love that about you. Without it we never would have made it past that first step." He paused and looked up at Rachel whose face was a mask of shock, but he pushed on. "I know our relationship seems crazy to everyone we knew in Ohio and that I probably don't deserve you after I left but you have to know that I never wanted to leave you. I want to be with you, forever, and that's why I got you this." Finn moved down to one knee as Rachel moved to the edge of the bed, placing her feet on the floor. He opened the box and she choked on some tears that had started to spill as she looked down at the heart shaped diamond ring he had chosen. "When we were apart I felt like I was in a black hole, knowing that I had broken your heart and mine, but now that we're together again…I feel like you're the star I can gravitate to and make the center of my universe because if you'll have me, I promise I will do everything I can to make you happy and to always make you feel loved. I love you, Rachel, and so what I'm trying to say is that…I want to marry you so we'll always have each other in every way. Will you marry me?"

His last question was asked uncertainly only because he wasn't sure what Rachel's crying meant. She hadn't made a sound or move to indicate her feelings but when a smile began to creep onto her face, Finn's heart began to swell.

She shook her head yes quickly and Finn felt like he could burst. "Yes, Finn, yes. I'll marry you. Yes!" Rachel's smile widened as she threw herself into Finn's arms. He fell over from the sudden lurch and they both found themselves lying on the floor, kissing like maniacs, as Rachel said 'yes' over and over between their kisses. "Oh! The ring!" she remembered suddenly. In her haste to accept and kiss Finn's face off, Rachel and Finn had forgotten about the ring.

Finn helped Rachel off the floor and grabbed the little box that had ended up flung to the side. He pulled the ring out of it and slipped it easily onto Rachel's third finger on her left hand. When they had reconnected, as he held her hand he felt like it had been missing something and that was when the idea to propose had begun to form in his mind. Now, with that ring on her finger, it seemed right…like it was always meant to be there.

They both admired it sparkling on her finger before their happiness bubbled over into passionate love making. Finn pulled Rachel's nightgown off before stepping out of his boxers then picked her up to place her gently on the bed. Rachel was so enamored and giddy she couldn't stop from smiling if she tried, not that she really wanted to. Currently she felt as if she would never frown again. Finn was hers, all hers, and soon it would be official. He was her fiancé and she was his. She really liked the sound of that.

"I love you…_fiancé_," she crowed delightedly from under Finn as she wrapped her arms and legs around him.

Finn stared back at her lovingly, absorbing everything about her he could before pressing his lips tenderly to hers. The kiss deepened as Finn found his way into Rachel, swallowing the moan she released from the sensation.

It was hot and intense as Finn and Rachel's bodies entwined. The bed was a mess of limbs and twisted sheets as they rolled so Rachel could sit atop Finn. She placed her hands flat on his chest, prominently displaying the beautiful engagement ring, and used Finn's body for support as she circled her hips and rolled them back and forth on his length. Finn's hips lifted to meet hers and she bucked up, enjoying the sudden jolt to her nerves when he hit her spot. Finn sat up then to kiss between Rachel's breasts. She held his head against her body and mewled when he slid his hand down her body to find her nub.

Her eyelids closed, starbursts of color forming behind them as she focused on how stellar Finn's fingers and mouth and cock felt on and in her body. She had missed this connection, not just the physical release but the emotional one as well. It was invisible but it was there, the tether that would always keep them together despite distance, time, or anyone's opinion. It was the reason she had been able to find Finn, to fall even more helplessly in love with him; the reason she could say yes with no reservations, the reason she wanted to say yes. She loved Finn with every bit of herself and couldn't wait to share it all with him.

Too soon, Rachel was slipping away from the physical world and onto a plane that she never thought could be reached. Her mind went numb of everything other than Finn and the thrum of ecstasy that accompanied him. It was dizzying going up that high and all exhausting coming down.

Finn had been feeling similarly as he couldn't stop himself any longer. He spilled into her, choking moans slipping from his lips as he dropped his forehead onto her shoulder. It was beyond satisfying yet so draining to work him and Rachel up so much. They sat together, holding each other closely, letting their bodies attempt to come down. Their skin stuck together as their sweat mixed, their temperatures were raised, their hair was matted and both were out of breath, but neither seemed to mind.

It got so silent in the room Finn could hear Rachel's heartbeat as it slowed back into a normal rhythm. He kissed her shoulder, ready to lie down. If Rachel was even half as tired as he was, she was going to pass out soon. Finn looked up at her and found her watching him intently.

"Ready for bed?" he mumbled against her lips when he went to kiss her.

She nodded her head and reluctantly pulled away from his body to climb under the covers. Finn turned off his lamp and slid in next to her allowing her to drape herself over his body, her leg hitching over his lightly caressing his smooth shaft, her center gently rubbing against his hip as her breasts pressed into his side. It was dark in the room but as Rachel's hot body settled against his equally hot body, he could feel the cool metal of her ring against his chest. The feeling made him smile and he lifted her hand to press a kiss to her palm.

"Thank you," he whispered against her skin.

"For what?" she replied, sleep in her voice.

"For letting me love you. I feel like the luckiest man alive."

Rachel shifted her body to reach his lips with hers. "I'm the lucky one, Finn." She kissed him again. "I love you."

"I love you too, baby. Sweet dreams."

She settled into his body again and soon was breathing heavily as sleep fell over her. Though the evening hadn't turned out completely as planned he had still managed to get the girl. It had been even better than if he had been able to propose at the Empire State Building. It had led to some of the greatest sex he'd ever had and had been a very intimate affair. There hadn't been any outside factors to account for or ruin it. It was just him and Rachel…all he'd ever need.

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><p>Only the epilogue now.<p> 


	24. From the First Time to Always

And so we come to the conclusion of Teacher's Pet. I can't believe it is over now! Thank you everyone for reading and all your kind reviews, favorites, alerts, etc. on this story. It's been a joy to write, most of the time, and I'm thrilled by the response to it. Again, thank you so much! Enjoy!

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><p>"<em>I can't believe Miss Michaels is in rehab. I mean, yeah, everyone made fun of her horrible jokes, but that's no reason to go to insane and try to throw a kid out a third story window," Santana commented as she and Rachel walked down the hall to their English class. There were only a few months left before junior year would end and their teacher couldn't seem to handle the pressure.<em>

"_It could have something to do with the fact she is bipolar and was self-medicating with hard drugs and alcohol instead of real medicine. The woman needs help and I'm glad she's finally getting it. It does suck about the timing though." Rachel shook her head in pity for the woman. "I wonder who they're going to get to fill in for her…" Her query was answered as soon as she walked into the classroom._

_Sitting at Miss Michaels' desk was a younger man staring at the computer screen as he pursed his lips, eyebrows dipped in thought. There was no way he was older than 24 or 25 and honestly, he was the hottest man Rachel had ever seen…besides Jesse of course because he was her boyfriend and she shouldn't be thinking that way about men who weren't her boyfriend and were her teacher._

_Rachel couldn't stop herself from staring however. He was very cute with his messy hair and freckles. When the bell rang and he finally tore his eyes from the computer screen, he looked around the room for a moment before standing. Rachel's eyes widened when she saw how tall he was. The man was huge._

_He cleared his throat. "Uh…good morning class," he greeted. The class didn't respond. "Good morning class!" he said again with more enthusiasm this time. Everyone said hello half-heartedly then he continued speaking. "As you know, Miss Michaels has unfortunately been forced to leave due to health reasons so at least until the end of the school year, I will be her replacement. My name is Finn Hudson. You all can call me Mr. Hudson. According to the most recent lesson plans of Miss Michaels' that I could find you were working on Macbeth is that correct?" He got a few confirming nods. "Well, we'll continue with that, but for today we'll just get to know each other. So I'm going to take attendance and when I call your name, just tell me a little about yourself. We'll go with three facts. I'll start. Like I said, my name's Finn Hudson. I'm a percussionist, I played quarterback for both my high school and college football teams, and I love Journey."_

_Rachel was hanging on his every word as he spoke. His voice was beautiful and she loved the way his mouth moved and his smile and dimples and his eyes were doing things to her she had never experienced before._

"…_Berry, Rachel," he called, looking around the room. Had he already called Artie?_

"_Here!" she announced loudly, raising her hand to draw attention to herself. When Finn looked at her their eyes met and she could swear she saw his pupils dilate before they flickered back down to the attendance sheet._

_He looked back up at her with his gorgeous amber eyes and smiled. She melted inside. "So, Rachel, what are three things you can tell us about you?"_

_She sat up straighter and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Well, I am a future Broadway star – you'll be seeing me in Funny Girl, Evita and Oklahoma! – and Barbra Streisand is my idol. I also always put a gold star after I sign my name because it's a metaphor and metaphors are important and my gold stars are a metaphor for me being a star." She earned a few snickers from others in the class at her enthusiasm about her love for gold stars but thoroughly ignored them. The majority of students at McKinley were beneath her and she wouldn't give them the satisfaction of getting a rise out of her._

_Finn's eyes were wide as he just stared at her, something she couldn't place in them. "O…__kay…then. I guess I'll always know which papers are yours." He grinned uneasily before moving on to Mike Chang._

_As the rest of the class period progressed and she learned more about Finn, she had a feeling in her gut that he was easily going to become her favorite teacher. As for Rachel, she was going to do whatever she could to make sure she became his favorite student._

"Hey, you okay?" Finn asked pulling Rachel from her thoughts. She lifted her head to look at him as they swayed slowly on the dance floor in each other's arms and smiled brightly before wrapping her hand around the back of his neck and giving her husband – her husband! – a wanton kiss.

"I've never been better," she cooed before resting her head against Finn's chest again. She closed her eyes as she listened to the song that had provoked the memory of the first time she had met Finn. It was Celine Dion's version of 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' and it was making her quite nostalgic. Their wedding song had actually been Journey's 'Faithfully', but this had been a close second. "Finn?"

"Hmm," he sighed looking down at his wife as she looked back up at him.

"Do you remember the first time we met?"

Finn smirked and nodded his head. "You gave a speech about metaphors."

"Metaphors are important, Finn."

He chuckled at her. "Yes, dear."

"What did you think the first time you saw me?"

Finn contemplated her question. "Honestly, I thought you were very pretty." Rachel smiled and bit her bottom lip. He had felt something for her immediately too. "But then you started talking really fast and a lot and your intensity kinda intimidated me." Rachel's face fell.

"Oh."

"But then I got to know you better and I realized I liked your intensity," he explained making Rachel's smile reappear. "You wouldn't be Mrs. Hudson without it."

Rachel shivered in his arms a little at the sound of her new name. "Say it again," she said with a smile.

"Mrs. Hudson." He grinned and pressed his lips to hers. "Mrs. Rachel Hudson."

"I really love how that sounds."

"Me too…but I am surprised you changed your mind about the hyphen."

"I don't need the hyphen. I'm always going to be yours and you'll always be mine and I want everyone to know it." She gave Finn another gentle kiss and both fell back into silence as they continued to dance surrounded by the rest of their guests.

As Rachel watched her friends and family, new and old, she thought back on the whirlwind her day had been. When she had woken up in her hotel room that morning she had been beyond giddy at her day's plans. It started with breakfast with Kurt and Santana, her Man and Maid of Honor because she couldn't very well pick one over the other, then it was off to the salon to get her hair and make-up professionally done. She looked like old Hollywood with her wavy hair swept up into a large bun low on the back of her head where her veil would rest later, and with her dark cat's eye shadow and liner and deep red lipstick. Though her dress was fairly modern, she wanted to emulate the glamour of past iconic beauties, a somewhat similar look to Barbra in _Funny Girl_ yet uniquely her own.

When her head was taken care of, she was treated to a mani-pedi and her hands and feet had never looked better. Then it was time for the dress.

The dress had taken nearly the entire time she had been planning the wedding to find and honestly the whole process had been disheartening. Rachel had always imagined wedding dress shopping would be a joy. Women on Say Yes to the Dress always seemed to have a blast and easily found their perfect matches but Rachel was not having the same luck. Although her dads were paying for most of the wedding, as a show of support despite disagreeing with her marriage at such a young age, she didn't want to break the bank on a dress. She and Kurt had searched tirelessly at multiple stores, big and well known stores and small lesser known boutiques. A gem could have been hiding anywhere.

Finally about two and half months before their wedding date, just as Rachel was about to give up on finding her perfect dress and settle on a lovely form fitting lace gown that she liked but hadn't wanted so bad she was willing to do anything to have it, she found the perfect dress at a shop that was literally only a few blocks away from school. The shop wasn't expressly only wedding gowns which was why it hadn't made the list of Kurt's suitable places to find a dress. In fact, the style of dress itself hadn't been on Kurt's list of suitable dresses for Rachel to wear. She of course trusted his fashion guidance and had allowed him to help her find a gown, and all the gowns he had picked were lovely, but they hadn't screamed at her to buy them.

She had only entered the shop to get out of the cold for a minute when she received a call from Finn asking if they needed anything from the grocery store. Absent-mindedly she had begun browsing as she tried to think of anything when a dress form with a spotlight on it toward the back of the little shop caught her eye.

On the stand was a tea-length dress with a strapless sweetheart neck line and ruched satin bodice complete with flower beading at the side waist. As for the bottom, it was a beautiful flowered lace and Point d'Esprit skirt with a scalloped hem. It was the dress she never knew she was looking for. When Rachel pictured her wedding she had always imagined herself in a giant ball gown with ruffles and lots of tulle and lace but when she had finally seen the real picture, it didn't look right. She was too short for so much material. But this dress, it seemed perfect.

She told Finn she needed to go and hung up on him mid-sentence and immediately sought out a saleswoman who took it off the stand and allowed Rachel to try it on. It fit like a glove, as if it had been waiting for her. Rachel beamed as she stared at herself in the mirror wearing the dress, admiring how it flattered her figure and showed off her deceivingly long legs. She knew Finn would appreciate the dress for that. Plus, her wedding was to be in Central Park in June. A shorter dress would be perfect.

After months of fruitless searching, Rachel finally had her dress.

Earlier that day as she got ready, Kurt helped her into her perfect dress and as she viewed herself for the first time with her hair and make-up done, her satin white pumps, and the finishing touch of the short veil, held in by the beautiful antique barrette provided by her Grandma for her something old, Rachel had to force herself to keep from crying. It was happening six years earlier than she had planned for herself but that just made it even better. She didn't have to wait to find her soulmate or to start her life with him. She was doing it today.

The intimate ceremony was held at the Wisteria Pergola at the Conservatory Garden in Central Park surrounded by their closest friends and family. It hadn't taken long but it had been beautiful and when Finn had begun to read his vows, she had lost it. Her nose was a little red and her mascara was running when she said 'I do' but after she kissed Finn hard on the mouth then turned back to look at their guests who were all clapping happily for them, she found that her Daddy looked worse than she did as he removed his glasses and dabbed at his eyes.

Things moved quickly from there as they rushed to take some pictures of the wedding party which consisted of Kurt and Santana as Man/Maid of Honor, Brittany and Georgia as bridesmaids, and Sam as Best Man and Alex and Eric as groomsmen, as well as their parents.

Both Finn and Rachel had been surprised with how okay their families had been with their decision to wed when they had told them they were going to at Thanksgiving the fall prior. They had both protested but for reasons that neither expected.

"_Rachel, you're only 18 years old. Don't you think that's just a little young? What happened to being 25 and all your Tony Awards?" Hiram asked as they sat at the dinner table the night before Thanksgiving._

_Rachel looked at Finn and smiled, feeling his support in his gaze and the squeeze he gave her hand. "I still plan on winning my Tonys, Daddy. I never had any intention of changing my career path or goals for myself in regards to my career. I love Finn and whether we marry now or ten years from now, I know we're going to build our life together, so why wait?"_

_Leroy looked to his partner then back at his daughter who was beaming at Finn who beamed right back. They were very clearly in love and nothing he or Hiram said would deter them. "Rachel, we aren't telling you, you can't, because we know you're going to do what you're going to do. After last time we've learned our lesson, we don't want to lose you again, but we do want to be sure you know what you're getting into. Marriage should not be taken lightly."_

"_I know that, Dad. Finn and I have discussed this at length. We're prepared."_

And they were, even against Finn's family's louder opposition to their pending nuptials.

"_Are you fucking kidding, Finn?" Trisha yelled at Finn in the living room when he and Rachel broke the news to his family all gathered for Thanksgiving. When he had called his mother to tell her where exactly he had been the past seven months and to explain that he had reunited with Rachel, she had been upset but said they would talk about it more when they next saw each other. Apparently she had broken the news about Rachel to everyone else before he could though. "After everything that happened because of her, you're going to marry her?"_

"_Rachel isn't the reason everything happened, okay? I am. Now you all can either accept that Rachel is going to be my wife or you can forget about being invited to the wedding. I love Rachel and we are going to be together no matter what any of you say or do."_

"_How can you trust her? She lied to all of us!" Tara added, defending her sister and earning a few nods in agreement._

"_We both lied to you because we knew what would happen if everyone found out the truth. She never lied to me about anything. It's all pointless now though because Rachel isn't in high school anymore. I'm not a ruined man or anything. Do you even care about the fact that I'm happy because of Rachel? Do you remember how miserable I was without her?"_

_His family all looked mildly ashamed with themselves until Sam stepped forward. No one knew yet that he had helped Rachel find Finn. "Finn's right. He and Rachel love each other and they're good for each other. They're gonna get married whether you approve or not and I dunno about you guys, but I'm looking forward to attending a bachelor party," he said before high fiving Finn who gave him an appreciative smile. "Congratulations guys." He hugged them both and Tara rolled her eyes._

It had taken a while to sink in, but eventually Finn's family accepted their relationship and wished them luck. Rachel secretly believed that Trisha was wishing their marriage would fail, but Rachel ignored her. She honestly didn't know why the girl disliked her so much.

Before dinner at the reception on the yacht they had for the evening on the Hudson, Carole, who had been fairly quiet regarding her feelings on the wedding, had even warmed up to Rachel. She gave a lovely toast and wished them all the happiness and luck in their marriage and made Rachel promise to give her some grandkids one day.

On the flipside, when her dads gave their toasts they both made Finn promise _not_ to give them any grandkids until after Rachel had won at least her first Tony. Then her Daddy threatened to hunt him down with a shotgun if he found out Finn had broken that promise. Honestly, the way he said the words, Rachel wasn't entirely sure he was joking.

After all the toasts had been given, dinner progressed smoothly into the cutting of the cake. Rachel had sworn to deprive Finn of honeymoon sex if he so much as even thought about shoving the cake in her face and when he placed it delicately in her mouth she was quite pleased. But then she tricked him and smushed the cake all over his mouth. He chased her around the table with his cakey mouth to give her a big kiss, earning a lot of laughter and a squeal and calls of 'no!' as he caught Rachel and pressed a large kiss to her cheek. She gave him a stern disapproving look before breaking into laughter and wiping the frosting and cake off her face. She couldn't stay mad at him.

Finally, they found themselves alone on the dance floor to share in their first dance as husband and wife. Finn had been so worried about making a fool of himself he had even enlisted the help of Kurt to learn some moves to keep from stepping on Rachel's feet and scuffing up her expensive heels. He had done a brilliant job until the fast songs began. He was just lucky he hit Cousin Leon instead of Nana as he fell over when he attempted to do the sprinkler. She'd have gone into stereotypical angry black woman mode and tore him a new one.

Then they found themselves back in each other's arms for Rachel's second choice for a wedding song.

A throat clearing caught their attention. "Would you mind terribly if we cut in?" her Dad asked, Carole standing next to him smiling. Finn looked down at Rachel before handing her off to her father and taking his mother's hand to dance with her. "I still can't believe you're married. Just yesterday the nurse was putting your little, yet loud, body in our arms." He was starting to get choked up which was making Rachel's eyes prickle with tears. "He better be good to you, Rachel. If he's not…I don't think your father was kidding about that shotgun."

Rachel chuckled despite herself. "Finn has never been anything but good to me. He's a great man, was a great boyfriend, an even better fiancé and I'm sure he'll be the best husband."

"Can I cut in?" Hiram's voice said from their other side abruptly.

"I just got her, Hiram."

"And that's longer than I've gotten her tonight. That husband of hers has been monopolizing all of our little girl's time."

Rachel and Leroy opened their stance a little and pulled Hiram in. The three of them danced awkwardly, laughing as they met eyes with other couples. Their relationship was much better than it had been only a year ago and they had passed the true test of whether or not they could be trusted. They had never once tried to talk her out of marrying Finn, they had offered to help pay for the wedding, and had given their full support to both of them. Rachel was so glad that all her relationships in her life had finally mended.

Even her acquaintanceship with Quinn had blossomed into a friendship. They weren't close, but they kept in touch after they ran into each other back in Lima during winter break and now Quinn was quite enjoying herself as she danced with Eric who was seemingly whispering sweet nothings into her ear. She blushed a deep red before smacking him across the face and walking off. Rachel chortled lowly then scoffed and rolled her eyes when Eric moved on to her friend Annette quickly. Some things just never changed.

Soon Rachel and Finn found their way back to each other and decided to take a seat and rest their feet. Though Rachel adored her satin white peep-toe pumps with the sparkly five inch heels and tiny bow on the backs, they were killing her feet.

"Is that Burt Hummel my mom is dancing with?" Finn asked as he plopped himself in a chair next to his bride. He took a flute of champagne and took a sip before looking to Rachel for an answer.

"It certainly looks like it. He was the only bald one in attendance." She smiled at how into each other they seemed as they danced and laughed. "Who knows, maybe soon we'll be attending _their_ wedding. I still have yet to throw my bouquet after all."

"You realize if my mom and Burt Hummel got married, Kurt would be my step-brother right?"

"And what's so bad about that?"

"It's not bad. It's just weird. He was my student."

Rachel looked at him in a little disbelief. "Marrying the student you had a sexual affair with is totally normal but being step-brothers with a student is weird?"

Finn just shrugged. It still seemed weird to him.

"Rachel!" Santana cried, a little wobbly on her heels as she dragged Brittany behind her with one hand and held a glass of champagne in the other. "Rachel! When you gonna throw the garter and bouquet? I wants that bouquet. Brits and I can actually get married in this state." She downed the last of her champagne in one pull then slammed the glass down on the table. "Finn, you should totally take her garter off with your teeth! That would be so hot!"

"Santana, how much have you had to drink?" Rachel inquired.

"Only one bottle of champagne…I think. I dun 'member. I lost count." She stood up straight then and adjusted the thin strap of her pale pink chiffon bridesmaid's dress that fell down. "I gotta piss. Where's the bathroom on this Love Boat?" She meandered away with Brittany following behind, leaving Rachel and Finn chuckling to themselves.

"She does have a point about the teeth."

"Don't you dare, Finn Hudson! Our parents are here!" she scolded when he got that look in his eye. "If you want to see my something new later, you better be good."

"Hmm, what's this something new look like?"

"You'll see." She stood up sans shoes and pulled Finn to his feet. "I want to dance some more. Let's go!" Just as they got out to the dance floor, the karaoke portion of the evening began with Blaine and Kurt singing 'Love Shack'.

A few songs in Rachel decided to serenade her man with 'Without You'. He looked so overwhelmingly in love as he sat in his chair and Rachel walked toward him before sitting in his lap. When they song ended they about mauled each other to Santana and Kurt's utter disgust.

"Get a room!" a highly inebriated Santana yelled at them before planting her own kiss on Brittany.

Rachel handed the microphone over to Quinn who was going to sing them some Madonna. She kissed him again as he slid his hand along her thigh under her dress before whispering against his lips. "Santana makes a valid point. Are you ready to go to our sure to be fabulous honeymoon suit?"

"I've been ready all night. We just need to get back to shore."

"I think it's time to do the garter and bouquet tosses," Rachel informed him.

"I think you're right."

Finn and Rachel got up and Finn informed the staff they were ready to go. Technically they had the boat for a few more hours, which their guests could enjoy, but Finn and Rachel really wanted to consummate their marriage.

They informed their emcee for the night, Sam, that they were ready for the garter and bouquet tosses and all the unwed girls on the boat went nuts when he made the announcement. They pulled out a chair for Rachel to sit down on and all the guys lined up behind Finn to attempt to catch the garter. Still not wearing her shoes, Rachel lifted her right leg and placed her foot on Finn's shoulder to help him gain access to under her dress. She giggled when he tickled her leg as he ran his hands over her skin to find the light blue and white garter wrapped around her upper thigh. They stared at each other intently as he pulled it down her leg and slipped it off. He didn't even remove his gaze from hers as he tossed the object behind him.

Rachel started giggling though when she saw who caught the garter. It was Burt. "Looks like he's going to have a good year."

Finn finally tore his eyes from his gorgeous wife and picked her up from the chair. Rachel grabbed her bouquet from the head table and made sure all the girls were lined up and ready before she turned away from them. She counted to three and lightly tossed it behind her. Then she heard a loud commotion and a crashing sound. When she turned to see what was going on, Santana was fighting Kurt for the bouquet and had knocked over a couple of other girls into some tables.

"It's mine, Kurt! You and Blaine aren't even ready to get married yet!" Santana screeched at him.

"You and Brittany don't even live in the same state!"

"Neither do you and Blaine!"

"But he's moving here in the fall! Now gimme!"

Everyone watched in stitches as they rolled around and clawed at each other to win the flowers. They were so concerned with stomping on the other they hadn't even noticed that the bouquet had flown out of their grasps and onto the floor a few feet away. Carole happened to be standing closest to it and picked it up without fuss.

Burt finally intervened and pulled his son off his other best friend. "If you two knuckle heads would have been paying attention you would have noticed Carole has the bouquet!" he supplied as he straightened Kurt out. He smiled at Carole and Rachel could swear she was blushing.

"I think this is a real sign, Finn. Maybe we won't be the only ones getting a room tonight," Rachel mumbled to him at her side. Finn just exhaled not wanting to think about his mom doing it with Kurt's dad and looked out the window of the boat. They were getting closer to the pier.

As Rachel and Finn got ready to depart the yacht, everyone stopped their partying to say their goodbyes. Rachel hugged and kissed basically everyone and really made her dads cry when she mentioned their flight to Honolulu for their honeymoon in the morning. She really was leaving the nest for good and was now truly a wife.

When they docked and stepped off the boat, Rachel and Finn waved goodbye and blew kisses to everyone as they made their way to their waiting limo. As soon as they climbed inside the already partitioned back seat of the stretch limo, Finn attacked Rachel's lips with his.

"You're so amazing," he breathed into her mouth, pressing his forehead against hers.

"You're amazing too. This has been the most magical day of my life, Finn."

"Mine too. I can't believe it actually happened. After everything, we're married now."

Rachel bit her lip and smiled at him as she moved to straddle his lap. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he slid his hands up her thighs to her ass under her dress. "I guess it really pays to be teacher's pet."

"I guess it does."

"I'm just glad I'll always get to be your naughty schoolgirl now."

"Babe, you already always were."

"I love you, Mr. Hudson."

"I love you too, Mrs. Hudson."

As Rachel kissed her husband, she came back to her initial conclusion about Finn…Mr. Hudson really was the best teacher ever.


End file.
